


A little bit of dumb luck

by retailavenger85



Category: Fallout 4
Genre: Angst, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-12-02
Updated: 2016-08-26
Packaged: 2018-05-04 13:22:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 12
Words: 56,469
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5335637
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/retailavenger85/pseuds/retailavenger85
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Down on his luck mercenary meets bewildered survivor. He's desperate for a job, she has no idea what kind of world she's found herself in. What started out as an opportunity for caps turns into revenge, redemption, and salvation for them both.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So, I'm basically writing this as I see my SS, someone with little-to-no combat experience. I mean hell, she was a law student/lawyer, not a soldier. So she's not exactly going to start out as the complete badass she becomes. But she'll get there. However she's got some serious culture shock to get over first.
> 
> (Also, I can't promise the most consistent upload schedule. I have an infant, and I have to write when she's asleep. Which is NEVER. Ugh. I'm really tired. That also explains any typos I manage to miss.)

 

 

 

 

“Son of a...” MacCready muttered under his breath, the last word catching in his throat, refusing to be said out loud. He had just passed through Gunner territory with no issues, and that could only mean one thing. They knew exactly where he was. He sighed, adjusted the strap of the rifle across his chest, and picked up the pace. Goodneighbor was close, and the neighborhood watch would at least slow down whoever the Gunners sent after him. Might as well grab a drink while he figured out his next move.

 

He slunk through the town's entrance, and down the street towards the Third Rail. The weather was just starting to turn from pleasantly brisk to miserably cold, and the wind tugged at his hat. He hunched his shoulders up to protect his neck and shoved his hands down into his pockets. In his left pocket, mixed in with his few remaining caps, his fingers met a worn, familiar scrap of hard fabric, and clenched it tightly. _A little bit of luck, Lucy. That's all I need right now. Just a little bit._ He glanced over his shoulder, half expecting to find the business end of a pistol staring back at him. But there was nothing there. Just the regular lowlifes, doing whatever it was they did that kept them in Goodneighbor.

 

The downstairs bar of Third Rail was bustling with drunken activity. Familiar faces glanced up as he entered, then turned their attention back to the singer on stage. Catching his eye, Magnolia winked theatrically, while MacCready returned a polite nod and headed towards the bar. Magnolia had always been kind to him when Whitechapel Charlie's over-service had triggered a few evenings of humiliating self-pity. The robotic bartender stared at him now, the unblinking robotic eyes waiting for an order.

“Just a beer, Charlie.”

“It's all we serve.” One of Charlie's metal arms slid a bottle towards him. “Pay up.” MacCready tossed his caps on the bar and picked up the bottle. It was the same temperature as his hand, and he sighed. A lifetime ago, he and Lucy had found a pre-war magazine advertising ice cold beer. The next time they had found a few bottles, Lucy put them in a cloth bag, and let them sit in a stream for an hour. While the beer still tasted flat and disgusting, they were cold and surprisingly refreshing. Lucy was always so much smarter than him, coming up with ideas like that. The pang of memory hit him hard, and he took a swig from his lukewarm beer with a grimace.

 

He tried to sit in the main bar area to keep an eye on the stairs, but the bar's other patrons were endlessly distracting. A lady ghoul with a lopsided black wig poked him in the side every time Magnolia started a new song.

“I love this song!” She would rasp at him, and grin.

“That's nice, lady.” He responded every time. “Real nice.” After several sharp jabs, he gave up and headed towards the back room. He'd have less time to react and practically no escape, but at least his ribs wouldn't be bruised. There was a plush red chair in the center of the room, remarkably well preserved for its age. MacCready settled into it, gently leaning his rifle against the wall behind him. He sighed as he sunk into the cushion. It felt good to rest properly. He dug his fingers into his pocket and pulled out Lucy's patch. The two yellow stars were dingy, and there was a smudge of dirt across one. Guiltily, MacCready licked his thumb and rubbed at the dirt until it was gone. Satisfied at a job well done, he turned the patch over and over in his fingers. Of all the patches Lucy had worn on that stupid sash when they were kids, this one had always been his favorite. She had left her sash with the next doctor when they left Little Lamplight, but MacCready had ripped the patch off when she wasn't looking.

 

And now it was the only thing left of her.

 

He shoved the patch back into his pocket, and rubbed his neck, leaning forward in the chair. _I'm gonna sort this all out, Lucy. I'm gonna fix Duncan. I just gotta get out of this. I just need a little luck._

 

“MacCready?” His head snapped up, and he reached for his rifle. “Yeah, he's in the back room.” _Looks like my luck is up._ He groaned and fought the urge to mutter a forbidden word.

Winlock sauntered in, a smirk on his stupid face. The redheaded merc ran a hand over his short mohawk and looked around the room with a disapproving look. Barnes followed him in, leaning against the wall in an attempt to look intimidating. MacCready sighed. If both of the idiots were here, then they had come to shake him down, not kill him. But movement out of the corner of his eye caught his attention, and he glanced away from Winlock to stare at the room's newest occupant.

A large dog had wandered in, sniffing everything carefully. _Definitely not a gunner dog, too clean, too friendly._ It pressed its nose against the back of his hand, whined, and gave him a tentative lick.

“Shoo, darn it!” MacCready pushed the dog away and turned his focus back to Winlock. The smile had faded, the annoyance of being ignored showing on his face.

“Can't say I'm surprised to find you in a dump like this, MacCready.” The man's voice was low and rough, almost like a ghoul's.

“I was wondering how long it would take your bloodhounds to track me down, Winlock.” He glared at Barnes, the two mercs worked as an efficient team, Barnes the tracker and muscle, Winlock the brains. _Mostly._ “It's been almost three months. Don't tell me you're getting rusty.” He wiped the dog slobber on his pants. “Should we take this outside?”

“It ain't like that. I'm just here to deliver a message.”

MacCready fought a smile. _It must be eating at him, getting sent here as an errand boy. He thinks he's too important for chores like this._

“In case you forgot, I left the Gunners for good.” He stretched his legs out in front of him, putting on a display of leisure and ease. Rubbing it in Winlock's face just how not afraid he was. It was stupid, and he would probably pay for it later, but right now, it felt too good to pass up.

“Yeah. I heard.” The dog trotted back into the room and plopped down at MacCready's feet. Winlock glared at it. “But you're still taking jobs in the Commonwealth. That isn't going to work for us.”

Behind Barnes, someone peeked around the corner, obviously trying to listen, but not trying to get involved. _Potential client? Owner of this stupid dog? Both?_

“I don't take orders from you. Not anymore.” He spoke louder than normal, in case the eavesdropper was looking to hire his services. “So why don't you take your girlfriend and walk out of here while you still can?”

“What?” Barnes stood up straight, cracked his knuckles and finally spoke. “Winlock, tell me we don't have to listen to this shit.” Winlock held up his hand towards his partner and glared at MacCready.

“Listen up, MacCready. The only reason we haven't filled your body full of bullets is we don't want a war with Goodneighbor.” He looked around the room, noticing the figure standing in Barnes' shadow. His eyes narrowed, and he leaned forward, closing the gap between himself and MacCready. “See, we respect other people's boundaries. We know how to play the game. It's something you never learned.”

“Glad to have disappointed you,” MacCready grinned, and reached down to scratch the dog behind the ears. 

“You can play the tough guy all you want. But if we hear you're still operating inside Gunner territory, all bets are off. You got that?”

“You finished?” He stood up, trying to stare eye to eye with the much larger man.

“Yeah, we're finished.” He turned, and started towards the exit. “Come on, Barnes.”

 

As they left, Barnes slowed to stare down the person behind him, now fully exposed to the light. She was several inches shorter than him and seemed to shrink under his glare. Her eyes widened, and she swallowed hard. Like a shot, the dog was at her side, lips parted to expose teeth. Barnes' eyes darted to the dog, MacCready, and then back to the woman. He sniffed derisively and stalked after Winlock. Left alone in the doorway, she exhaled deeply, and turned to MacCready, the timid expression on her face changing to one of hope.

 

He'd seen that expression before on the drunks and junkies of the Commonwealth. It was the expression that meant somebody wanted you for a favor. _She had better have caps. I've got to get the hell out of Goodneighbor._ He leaned back and sized her up. Small framed, not heavily armed. At first glance, he could only see a small pistol on her hip. Her clothes didn't fit right, and none of her armor matched. Technically, nobody's armor matched, but her's lacked the care and customization that most people put in over time. She was older than him, but not by much. He narrowed his eyes as he continued to stare. Wedding ring. _Sheltered runaway wife on an adventure? That could explain the awful armor and lack of firepower._ Pip-boy. _Oh hell._ Pip-boys always meant trouble. The few people with them he had encountered had always caused him problems.

 

“Look, Lady... If you're preaching about the Atom or looking for a friend, you've got the wrong guy.” She cocked her head to the side, eyebrows raised. “If you need a hired gun, then maybe we can talk.” He sat back down and took a sip of his beer. It was completely flat now, and disgusting, but he had to look cool and not desperate for the job.

She sighed and shrugged her shoulders. The leather of her armor squeaked as it shifted, betraying the lack of experience its owner had at wearing it.

“From what I just heard, sounds like you're out of business.”

“Are you kidding me? I'm not about to let a couple of Gunner rejects stand between me and a solid payday.” _Was that too desperate? Keep it cool, MacCready._

She folded her arms across her chest, and leaned back. With her hip cocked out, she reminded MacCready of Princess, a stubborn girl he knew from Little Lamplight. She had been mayor before him, for five minutes, before he had punched her in the face to save everyone from her tyranny.

“Alright. Sounds like you can handle yourself. But I worry about those guys throwing a wrench in the works.” Her hand twitched, like an itchy trigger finger, but it was just her thumb rubbing across her ring. _Her incredibly nice, shiny, where the heck did she even get that ring._ The glint from it caught the light and said 'CAPS' to MacCready in a voice that sounded like angels singing. _Don't screw this up. Land this client._

“If you're worried about Winlock and Barnes, don't be. They couldn't kill a squirrel with a rocket launcher.” He suppressed a laugh at the visual image and put his serious face back on. “Now, what about you? How do I know I won't end up with a bullet in my back?”

She wrinkled her nose and turned towards the door.

“If my caps aren't good enough to answer that question, I can take them somewhere else.”

He reached out and grabbed her by the arm, gently pulling her back to face him. It gave him pause how little resistance she offered. _How the hell did this lady get all the way to Goodneighbor?_

“All right, all right! No need to get your panties in a bunch. Tell you what, price is 250 caps. Up front, and non-negotiable.” He released her arm and threw up his hands. “What do you say?”

She gave him a nervous smile, still playing with her ring.

“Everything's negotiable. Would you take 200?”

He scratched his head under his cap and grimaced. _I really need the caps, and something tells me I'd be the only thing keeping her alive. Maybe I could use the karma._

“You drive a hard bargain, but you just bought yourself an extra gun.” He picked up his beer, swirled the bottle, and decided against drinking the rest. With a sigh, he set it down on the small table. “All right, boss. Let's get out of here.”

Her face broke out into a full grin. _She has really nice teeth. That's...weird._ MacCready shook off the thought and held out his hand.

“MacCready. But I'm betting you already knew that.”

“Alice.” She grasped his hand and gave it a firm shake. Not hard, but professional, as if she had spent a lifetime making deals. _Merchant, maybe?_ “And Dogmeat.” She gestured down with her head. The dog responded with a short bark and licked MacCready again.

“Dogmeat?”

“He came with the name. Not my fault.”

“Right then. Where are we off to?”

She flicked a dial on her pip-boy, switching the screen to a map of the Commonwealth. A skinny finger jabbed at the glass.

“Heading back to Diamond City. And then from there, back ho-” She swallowed hard, and started over. “From there, back to where I'm staying.”

He let that slide. Obviously, there were things she didn't want to talk about, and he didn't really care to know. He gave a short nod and gestured towards the exit.

 

They walked in silence out onto the streets of Goodneighbor, but MacCready couldn't help notice how overwhelmed his new boss was. Her face was lit with curiosity as she took in the neon and grime of the small town.

“First time to Goodneighbor?” He asked casually, as she stared at the Memory Den.

“First time in a long time.” Her answer was soft, lacking the bravado from her earlier negotiations. She blinked rapidly and shoved the pip-boy in his face. “Look, I came along the river on my way here, but it's much fast to cut through the city. I want to try and get back there before dark.”

“We've got a few hours, so that shouldn't be an issue if we move quickly. Just follow me.”

She shook her head as they passed out of the city gate.

“I could find my way to Fenway with my eyes shut. I think I know a good path.”

“Fenway?”

“Diamond City. Sorry.” She shook her head, and headed off down the street at a brisk pace, Dogmeat close behind. _Great. She's completely crazy. This is going to be just great._ With a heavy sigh, MacCready unslung his gun from his back and settled it into his arms. He had a feeling he was going to be needing it shortly.

 

That prediction came true sooner than he had realized when they stumbled on a small group of raiders outside of the Park Street Station. Thankfully, there were only five, and MacCready was quite proud of himself for taking down three.

“Impressed yet?” He turned to check on his charge, _not charge, BOSS_ , and stared. One raider was face down on the street, and Dogmeat had the other pinned down by the shoulder. Alice leveled her pistol at the man's face, breathed deeply, and pulled the trigger. Blood pooled from the bullet hole, mixing with the rest from the other raiders. She shuddered and holstered her gun.

“Let's keep moving.” She said quietly, turning away from the dead raiders.

“Yeah, give me two seconds.” MacCready gave the bodies a quick once-over, checking for spare caps and ammo. His rummaging successful, he looked up to offer her half of the spoils. She was gone.

His mind raced furiously. _What's the most direct way to Diamond City from here??_ His heart sank, and he took off running down the street. _Boston Common. Swan's Pond._

 

He caught up with Alice as she entered the square. In the distance, he could see the large shape of the behemoth stirring. Frantically, he grabbed her arm and dragged her into the alcove of doorway long since boarded up. With one arm he pinned her to the wall and covered her mouth with the other.

“Don't. Move.” He hissed under his breath. Her eyes were wide and frantic with confusion and fear, but she gave him a slight nod.

 

There was a loud splash, and the ground shook as the beast moved about in its territory. MacCready tried to make himself as small as possible, pressing himself tightly against his new client and the wall. He was too worried about not getting eaten to worry about any particular complaints she might have at the time. He let his head drop, resting the top of his hat against the wall, his forehead resting on her shoulder. He breathed deeply, trying to keep the sound as quiet as possible. He tried to listen to the monster, to gauge its movements, but he couldn't help but be hyper-aware of every inch of his skin that touched hers. He felt his face flush, and he hated himself. _She's a client. I'm keeping her, and myself, alive. This is nothing. This means nothing. Pull yourself together._ He repeated the thought over and over, trying to override the part of his brain that was panicking over such close proximity to a woman. _This was such a terrible idea._

 

After what seemed like an eternity, the crashing noises ceased, and the rhythmic grumbling of snoring filled the large courtyard. MacCready let himself relax and pulled his body back. He released the pressure of his arm from Alice's chest and held a finger to his lips. She nodded again, and he moved his hand from her face. As they crept from the doorway, she froze, staring at the sleeping giant.

“What...” she whispered, and let the sentence die as he glared at her, shaking his head. She reached out and grabbed his sleeve, and let herself get led out of danger. Dogmeat appeared from his own hiding place and took up behind them.

 

“What was that... thing?” They were several blocks away when she spoke again, still hushed, as if it might hear them.

“Behemoth.” She stared blankly at him. “Giant super mutant.” She blinked. “Super. Mutant.” He repeated the words slowly as if she were a child. When her expression refused to change, he stopped walked. “Look. I don't think we're going to make it to Diamond City before it gets dark. It's never a good idea traveling through the city at night. I know a safe place nearby we can hole up for the night. That sound good?”

She nodded, biting her lip nervously.

“Look. You paid me good money to keep you alive. I've been doing this since I was a kid. I'm good at it. Let's just get somewhere safe for the night.” She nodded, and meekly followed him into the city ruins. “And then, I have a list of questions I want answered.”

 

 

 

 

 


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter two

Night came early in the ruins of Boston, as the setting sun hid behind the skeletons of ruined buildings. MacCready sighed and surveyed the street. The houses had long since been boarded over, and anything worth looting was long gone. Thankfully, that meant the local population ignored them, and MacCready used that to his advantage.

“That one. The glass behind the wood it is broken.” He said, pointed to one of the row houses, seemingly identical to all the others. With the help of his charge, she might as well be at this point, they removed a section of old wood from the window. “I cleared it out a few months ago when I needed a safe place to crash for a few days.”  
He peered inside. The room inside was quiet, undisturbed by the rest of the world. No sign of gunners, raiders, or ghouls.  
“Okay, let's lift the dog in.”  
Alice nodded and scratched Dogmeat behind the ears before helping shove him through the open window. There was a crash as something fell over, and MacCready rubbed the bridge of his nose. Well, if there are any ghouls in the area, they'll be up now... But the moment passed, and Dogmeat stuck his face back up a few moments later with a triumphant bark.  
“Shhhh. Good dog.” Alice cooed at him, reaching through the window to pet him again. “Back up, boy.” She swung her leg up and through the window, sliding in easily. MacCready followed, pulling the board back in place behind them. It didn't fit as snugly as it had before, but it gave the appearance of not being moved.  
“Right.” He waved his hand in the gloom. “I'm going to check to make sure the house is clear. Just... stay here.”  
“Got it.” She sat down on an old couch, sighing as she leaned back.

The house appeared safe, but MacCready left nothing to chance anymore. Every heap of old clothes, every oddly shaped shadow, everything that could potentially hide a sleeping ghoul was examined, poked and prodded. He refused to be caught unaware again, to let somebody else get hurt on his watch. When it was clear the house was empty, he returned to the front room.  
“Everything looks good. I've stored some food in the kitchen. Let's grab some before we completely lose the light.”  
The row house had been his base several times, and he had built up several days worth of food as an emergency stash. As he grabbed some Nuka Cola out of the old fridge, Alice flipped open the cabinet doors and stood on her toes to rummage around. Several boxes of Sugar Bombs fell out and landed on the counter. MacCready joined her, and pulled down a few cans of Pork n' Beans.  
“This should do for dinner.” He grabbed an old can opener off the counter, and a few spoons. “Let's head upstairs. The front windows should give a decent view of the street.”

The room upstairs had been used as a bedroom at some point after the war but had obviously gone unused by anyone other than him for a long time. MacCready hauled a chair towards the window, giving himself a good vantage point, but staying mostly out of sight from the street below. He set his rifle against the wall, before twisting the cap off a cola, and handing it to Alice. She accepted it graciously, and crawled onto the bed, resting her back against the headboard, Dogmeat curled at her feet. She opened a box of Sugar Bombs and pulled out a handful. MacCready watched with amusement as she sniffed it gently, and picked out a solitary flake.  
“It's not going to kill you. That... stuff doesn't age. Should taste good as new.”  
A skeptical look was his only response, but she tried the old cereal anyway. She grimaced, wrinkled her nose, and sighed.  
“Better than nothing, I suppose.”  
“You bet it is.” He rested his feet on a small table beside him and crossed his arms over his chest. “Now, we've got some things to go over. I know I already signed on with you, but I'm gonna need you to answer some questions. And I need you to answer honestly.”  
“Right.”  
“Pip-boy. Yours?” She shook her head, her hair falling on her face.  
“Yes.” The answer was punctuated by a steady stare as she took a swig of the cola. MacCready responded with a drink from his own. It was warm, flat, and sticky sweet. Not something he enjoyed, but a good pick-me-up when a beer wasn't possible. He gestured to the pistol she had placed on the nightstand.  
“That for show, or are you any good with it?”  
I'm not terrible. I've practiced with it and can hit a target pretty well. I just don't have a lot of... practical experience with it.” A look of determination settled onto her face. “And if I could find a shotgun that wasn't rusted beyond belief, I'd be fine with that as well.”  
“So you're completely deadly.” He grinned. “From five feet away.”  
She rolled her eyes, but he saw the smile try to fight its way onto her face.  
“That's why you're here. I was looking for someone in the city and realized I needed someone with a bit more... range.” She gestured towards the rifle against the wall. “They told me Goodneighbor was a place to find some hired help. I asked around town, and you were recommended.”  
MacCready felt a small surge of pride. I was recommended. It was what he had hoped for, to be wanted for his skill and reputation. Only the Gunners stood in the way of that happening more often.  
She's got to be some rich man's kept wife. Never left the safety of a bunker or compound or something. Is she running back to a husband, or away from one? Either way, keeping her out of trouble is going to be difficult.

“Just a few more questions. The fancy ring. Is my presence in your personal space going to bring on the wrath of a jealous husband?” Don't want to deal with that kind of crazy again. Better catch it quickly this time.  
“No.” A dark cloud came over her face. “He's... He's not...” She reached under the neckline of her shirt, and pulled out the large companion to her ring, securely attached to a leather cord. Oh hell, MacCready. Don't make the new boss cry.  
“You don't need to talk about it. I didn't mean to bring it up.”  
“It's fine. You didn't know. I'm trying to not focus on it.” She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and shoved the ring back under her shirt. “It's just... recent. Still hurts.” She stared at her hands, rubbing her ring with her thumb again.  
It doesn't ever stop.  
MacCready sat quietly in the growing dark and put the pieces together. Dammit. Vault people.

“How long have you been out of your vault?” Her head snapped up in response to his question. “It's not that hard to figure out. 81 is the only one in the area that still has people in it, so I'm guessing that's the one you left from.”  
She hesitated, then nodded slowly, not meeting his gaze.  
“That would also explain how you got so far into the ruins on your own. The vault's just outside the city.”  
“It's been three weeks... since I left the vault.” She wrinkled her nose at him and leaned forward to scratch Dogmeat behind the ears. “And I'm not on my own.”

She clearly didn't want to elaborate, so MacCready backtracked in the conversation.  
“You said you were out in the ruins looking for someone?”  
“I'm looking for a lot of people. But what I needed a detective from Diamond City.” She sighed deeply and took another drink of the cola. “He... wasn't what I was expecting.”  
“Oh. Valentine.” MacCready made a face. Synths made him nervous, and Nick Valentine's broken down appearance gave him the creeps. It didn't help that whenever the detective came to Goodneighbor, trouble usually followed.  
“That's the guy. I'm meeting him back at his office in Diamond City.”  
“What's he helping you find?”  
“Somebody.” Alice's face went blank again as she tried to maintain her composure. Definitely, something to do with the husband. His killer, maybe? But wouldn't vault security usually deal with that sort of thing? Maybe he was a trader...  
“Look, I get it. You don't trust me yet.” He shrugged. “But eventually, you're going to have to fill me in on the situation. I need to have some idea of what's going on.”  
She rubbed the back of her neck thoughtfully.  
“I just... I know I'm going to have to tell Valentine everything, and I want to talk about it as little as possible right now.”

They both went quiet as the room got darker, the distant sounds of scattered gunfire slowly dying off.  
“Look, I'll keep watch. This street is usually pretty quiet. Get some sleep, you look like you need it.” The expression on her face told him that was definitely the wrong thing to say. “I mean... you look tired.” Not better. “It's been a long day?” He tried desperately.  
“It really has.” She admitted, and kicked her boots off. Dogmeat jumped off the bed as she slid under the thin blanket, the only bedding left on the worn mattress. She yawned, and rolled back over to nervously look at him. “You'll still be here in the morning, right?”  
“Lady, did you really think I'm going to take your caps and run?”  
“Well, you are still calling me 'Lady'.”  
“Alright, you got me there.” He his hands up in a sign of surrender. “Alice. I will still be here when you wake up, and I'll help you get to Diamond City. Now sleep.”  
She nodded and was fast asleep moments after her head hit the mattress. Vault People. MacCready put his head in his hands. What am I getting myself into?  
The thought of them left a bad taste in his mouth, ever since that jerk from 101 passed through Little Lamplight to Vault 87, and lead the Enclave soldiers right to the front gate. They'd shot at him, threatening to kill everyone in the caves. He'd held the gate on his own until the other kids could hide, then booked it into the darkness as fast as he could. Nobody had blamed him, not to his face, but he resigned from Mayor shortly after that and left with Lucy a few years later.

Through the late evening, he split his attention between the street and the sleeper. She had pulled an arm out from under the blanket, reaching across the empty side of the bed for someone who wasn't there. MacCready heart sank as he recognized the position he woke up in every morning. He missed Lucy every day, but watching this mirror image of his grief was almost overwhelming. Blinking furiously, he turned away from the bed and stared out the window. There was no movement below, no sound, so he relaxed against the wall, and let his eyes lose focus. Time passed as he forced himself to keep a clear mind, to not think of anything. Especially not Lucy, and definitely not Duncan.

He rose from his watch before the sun rose, stretching the stiffness out of his neck and shoulders. Alice was still sleeping, her arm still outstretched. Dirty blonde hair had escaped its bun and lay around her head like a cloud. MacCready sat down next to her, and gently lay a hand on her shoulder.  
“Boss?”  
She stirred, and without opening her eyes, reached up to grab his hand tightly.  
“Nate?” Her voice cracked.  
“No, I'm sorry.” She snatched her hand away from his, and her eyes popped open. In the predawn light, they looked gray, hard and cold.  
“Right. Of course. No, don't be sorry. My mistake.” She rubbed her face and sat up. “We off?”  
“We should head out before it gets too light. I don't want to let everybody in the Commonwealth know about this place.”  
“Good idea.”

They gathered their equipment in awkward silence, and made their way out onto the street. After replacing the boards, they set out towards Diamond City. The route was mostly uneventful, the only raiders they encountered were arguing loudly amongst themselves, providing ample distraction. Dogmeat scouted ahead, his gentle woofs indicating a clear path. Alice was quiet for most of the trip, in a way MacCready suspected was uncharacteristic. Several times she turned to him, questions on her face, but every time she would hesitate, and let the silence continue. It was driving him crazy, so he stretched his arms wide and stared up at the sky as the sun rose.  
“Ah. Look at that Commonwealth sky. Never thought anything so naturally ominous could end up looking so inviting.”  
Alice looked at him curiously, before squinting and looking up at the clouds. They were tinged yellow, the edges of a rad storm from the Glowing Sea. She wrinkled her nose.  
“What makes you say that?”  
“Goodneighbor was a good place to look for work, but a crappy place to hang your hat.” He shifted the strap of his rifle, then adjusted the knife at his belt. “Let's put it this way. Can't get much rest when you're sleeping with one eye open.”  
They walked in silence for a few moments, before MacCready coughed nervously.  
“Still,” he continued. “It was the best place for me to set up shop. Diamond City's goons would have run me out of town, and wandering the Commonwealth alone isn't the brightest plan when you're hard up for caps.” He looked at her pointedly.  
“Caps aren't worth risking your life.” She shot back, a smile fighting its way onto her face. He elbowed her in the arm and snorted.  
“Easy for you to say. But right now, I need every cap I can get.”  
“Are caps really that important to you?”  
Life must have been cushy for her back in the vault. How can she even say that?  
“I don't have much of a choice.” He said, exhaling sharply.  
Her face went red, and she looked away with embarrassment. Ah damn. Too harsh again. He shook his head, slowing his walking pace.  
“I didn't mean...”  
“I know what you meant. I've got no idea what it's like out here.” She nodded as they approached the gate to Diamond City. “But hey, we made it in one piece.”  
“Told ya I'd get you here safely.” He grinned. “Let's go talk to your detective.”

They were walking through the Diamond City market, when Alice froze and grabbed his sleeve.  
“Look, like I said last night, I'm going to have to tell Nick about everything that happened. With my husband. And the vault.” She bit her lip and stared up at him. “Promise me you aren't going to leave.”  
“What? Why would I leave?” He asked nervously.  
“Just don't, okay?”  
“Look, You paid for my services for more than 24 hours, it's not going to be good for business if I just take off. Besides, if I was going to ditch you, it would have been easier last night while you were sleeping.” She glared at him, then relaxed, and continued towards the back of the market. “But what do you think I'm going to freak out about?”  
She put her head down and ignored the question, ducking into the small alley that housed the detective's agency.  
“Seriously. Is it that bad?” MacCready took a deep breath and followed her into the gloom. Oh hell.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

 

MacCready blinked rapidly as his eyes adjusted to the gloom of the agency office. The detective Nick Valentine leaned against a file cabinet in the small office, talking softly to a thin, dark haired woman.

“You're back! And with... help.” Valentine stared at MacCready with unblinking eyes. The cracks around his synthetic face twitched as the smile turned to disapproval. “I hope it works out for you.”

“It'll be fine, Nick. MacCready's already been a big help.” Alice smile was warm and reassuring, but slid off her face after only a few moments.

“If you say so.” Valentine gestured to the room's other occupant. There was no skin on his hand, and the exposed metal skeleton shone slightly, making MacCready's nerves twitch. There hadn't been synths in the Capitol Wasteland, at least ones you knew about, and seeing one for the first time after arriving in the Commonwealth was a rude surprise. “It sounds like you've already met my secretary, Ellie.”

“Yes, thank you so much for helping find Nick!” The secretary stepped forward and grasped Alice by the hand. “I was so worried about him.”

“Ellie.” Nick groaned, rolling his eyes. The annoyance seemed to be more for show, as he tried to hide a small smile.

“Sorry!” She released Alice's hand, and picked up her clipboard.

 

“So, should we get down to business?” Nick pulled out the chair behind the desk and sat down. “We should start this case you needed me for.”

Alice nodded, and sat down in a chair across from him. She folded her hands on the desk, nervously rubbing her ring. She looked pale and small in the dim light, but her face was set with determination. Dogmeat sat at her feet, his head on her knee.

Valentine looked up at his secretary, who stood behind him with pencil and paper at the ready, then they both stared at MacCready. He took up a position behind Alice's chair, trying to look intimidating as he leaned against a file cabinet. _I belong here as much as anybody. She's my client, too._ Valentine rolled his eyes, and turned his attention back to Alice.

“When you're trying to find someone who's gone missing, the devil is in the details.” He adjusted the sleeves on his jacket absentmindedly. “Tell me everything you can. No matter how painful it might be.”

MacCready tapped her on the shoulder.

“You gonna be alright?”

“I think so. You're not going to leave, right?” She looked back at him, her eyes widening as she stared at his face. _Why does she keep saying that? What is she afraid of?_

“Yeah, I'll be right here.”

She blinking rapidly for several seconds, then turned back to Valentine. He nodded.

“So, we're trying to find the people who killed your husband... and took your son.”

“Yes.” MacCready felt his heart drop into his stomach as Alice continued, a crack in her voice. “Nate was trying to keep them from taking Shaun, and they... they just...”

“It's okay.” Ellie's voice was sympathetic. “You don't need to say anything more.”

Alice's shoulders relaxed, and MacCready watched relief roll across her face. _She should have mentioned the kid before. Did she think I wouldn't have taken it at all if I knew? No, that's not it. Something still isn't right. That can't be the reason she thought I would take off._

“So.” Valentine continued. “We're talking about a group of cold-hearted killers, but they waited until something went wrong to resort to violence.” He sat silently for a few moments, a thoughtful look frozen on his synthetic face. “What can you tell me about your son?”

“He's less than a year old.” Her voice caught in her throat. “Why would anyone take him?”

“A good question.” Nick mused. “Why your family in particular, and why an infant? Someone would be taking on all of his care, and a baby needs a lot of it.”

 

He leaned back and lit a cigarette, it was obviously all for show, as the smoke curled out through the cracks in his face and neck. MacCready licked his lips, the smell of the cigarette overriding his discomfort around the synth. It had been days since he had had a smoke, fresh packs weren't exactly an affordable luxury when you were on the run. He coughed nervously and looked up to see Valentine staring at him. _Of course he noticed, he's a synth. Well, that and a detective._ With a thin smile, Nick offered him the pack. MacCready eagerly pulled a cigarette out and dug in his pocket for a lighter. He flicked the ancient device furiously, lit the cigarette, and inhaled deeply, letting the smoke fill his lungs. As he leaned back against the cabinet, Nick continued with his questions.

“Can you tell me about the killers?”

Alice rubbed the back of her neck, wincing as her fingers traced over a patch of light pink skin. _Sunburns. You usually only see those on little kids and vault dwellers. Should have noticed that yesterday._

“There was a man and a woman. They didn't say much, but I remember they called me, 'the backup'.”

“So we're talking about a small team. Professionals. The kind that know to keep their lips tight when they're on the job.” Nick frowned. “Not sure what 'the backup' means though.”

MacCready did. It meant if something happened to the baby, they'd be coming back for her. The thought sent a shiver down his spine. _Who is she mixed up with? Maybe she was right to think I was going to take off. These people could still be looking for her._

 

“Where did this all take place?”

Alice immediately went quiet. This seemed to be the part she hadn't wanted to talk about. An awkward silence filled the room as she looked around the room nervously and stared into the dark corners.

“There's nobody else in here, if that's what you're afraid of.” Nick leaned forward, and folded his hands on the table. “My office is secure, and as soundproof as you could hope for in this part of the city. Whatever you have to say, this is the safest place to say it.”

Alice stared at her hands, her eyes focused on her ring.

“We were in a Vault when it happened.”

“81? I didn't think they had a problem with security.”

She glanced back at MacCready, a guilty expression on her face. He stared back at her, waiting for the other shoe to drop.

“No. Vault 111. It was some kind of cryo facility.” _Cryo facility? What?_

“You were on ice huh?” Valentine tilted his head to the side while Ellie scribbled furiously. “Do you know for how long?”

“Since before. Before the bombs, the war... Before all of this.” She gestured with her hand towards the walls of the shack, and the haphazard city beyond it.

MacCready's mouth fell open in shock, his cigarette dropping to the floor. His thoughts came in a rush as he stamped it out. _She's got to be confused. Maybe they lied to everybody in the vault as to what year it was? Vault-tec's done weirder things. There's no way she's been frozen for over 200 years._ But he thought about her behavior in the last 12 hours, and things started clicking into place. How everything she did was much stranger than the other vault dwellers he had seen. How everything was new and terrifying for her. _No, she's telling the truth. Son of a bitch, what have I gotten myself into?_ He looked up to see Nick and Ellie were also staring at Alice, clearly trying to process the new information. She squirmed in her chair, her discomfort evident.

“Just to clarify,” Nick asked, “You're saying you were born before the great war?”

“Yes. I was born on October 16th, 2047 in San Diego, California. The bombs fell a week after my 30th birthday.” They all continued to stare at her. “So...” She cleared her throat. “There weren't other vaults that did that? There's nobody else...” She left the question unfinished, as if she didn't want to hear the answer.

“Not that we know of.” Nick shook his head. “There were other vaults, but most of them were abandoned a long time ago. There are a few pre-war ghouls around, but nobody else so well... preserved.”

“Oh.” She looked so dejected and lonely, that MacCready felt his chest tighten. When Lucy had died, he had thought his reason for living was gone. But he still had Duncan. She had literally lost everything. Her husband, her child, her friends, her entire world. He couldn't even begin to imagine what she was going through.

“I'm sorry.” Nick stubbed his cigarette out in a small ashtray. “I'll make this quick, but I need to finish getting my information.”

“Right. Sorry.” She rubbed her face with her hands and sighed. After the sigh came a small look of relief, as if keeping her secret had weighed heavily on her.

 

“So you were in the vault when the attack happened.” Nick scratched his head with the skeletal hand. “More importantly, you were underground. Sealed up. That's a lot of obstacles to get through just to take one person. “

He stared at the wall as he thought, and the only sound in the room came from the scribbling pencil of Ellie's furious writing. Alice leaned back in her chair, her head bumping against MacCready's stomach. She jumped slightly, turning to look up at him. She opened her mouth to apologize, but he shook his head.

“Don't worry about it.” Without thinking, he reached down and gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze. “It's gonna be okay.”

“I hope so.” The color was returning to her face, but when she looked at him there was still concern on her face. As she turned back to Nick, MacCready mentally kicked himself. _Don't be creepy._

 

“Well, that confirms it.” Nick adjusted his hat. “This isn't a random kidnapping. Whoever took your kid had an agenda.”

He took the clipboard from Ellie, and flipped through the pages.

“Hmm... There's a lot of groups in the Commonwealth that take people. Raiders, Super Mutants, the Gunners-” He glanced up at MacCready with a knowing look. “and of course, there's the Institute.”

“Do you think one of them took Shaun?” Alice's face perked up, and she sat up in her chair.

MacCready cleared his throat.

“Not the Gunners. Kidnapping without a ransom isn't their style. Neither is leaving people alive.” He hated that he knew that, and that Nick obviously knew about his association with the Gunners. _One day, that will be so far behind me it won't even matter._

“True.” Nick nodded. “And raiders aren't organized enough to pull of an operation of this magnitude.”

“Super mutants?” Alice looked confused.

“Remember that big green thing in Boston Common?” MacCready snorted. “That, but not as huge.”

Nick narrowed his eyes.

“The SWAN? You took her through Boston Common? What were you thinking?” His voice was harsh and accusing. MacCready felt his face flush and glared back. Being scolded like a child was high on the list of ways to piss him off. _Nobody scolded me even when I was a child. I would have killed them for it without a second thought._

“That was actually my fault, not his,” Alice said quickly. “I thought I knew the way through the city.” She sighed. “But it was definitely people who took Shaun, not big, green... things.”

“You're right. The Institute sounds like our best lead right now.” Nick turned his attention back to her.

“But this speculation is getting us off track. Let's focus on what you saw. What did these kidnappers look like?”

Alice stared at the ceiling, wrinkling her nose as she searched her memory.

“The woman was dressed in... I think it was a kind of hazard suit. The man had some sort of metal brace on his arm.”

“Maybe some kind of improvised armor? Lots of hired guns do that to look tough.” Nick looked at MacCready, who nodded in agreement. “The hazard suit is interesting. Not many mercs can afford something that fancy. What else do you remember about them?”

The room fell silent again as Alice closed her eyes. Dogmeat whined, his tail thumping against the floor.

“I'll never forget that voice.” She shuddered, and crossed her arms tightly across her chest. “Low and rough. Like sandpaper across your face.” Valentine frowned.

“Hmm... not much to go on, but a tough and commanding voice can get someone pretty far in the violence business. Can you describe what he looked like?”

“He came right up to me.” She gestured in the air in front of her face. “Bald head, scar across his left eye.”

Valentine and MacCready stared at each other. _Oh hell. If she's gotten mixed up with him..._

“Wait.” Valentine was the first to speak. “It couldn't be... You didn't hear the name 'Kellogg' at all, did you?”

“Who is he? Do you think he has Shaun?”

Nick slowly shook his head. “It's way too big of a coincidence.” He leaned back and looked up at his secretary. “Ellie, what notes do we have about the Kellogg case?”

 

Ellie stepped over to a large file cabinet and started rummaging through the paperwork. While she looked, MacCready ran his mind through everything he knew about Kellogg. He had heard rumors of a man running jobs even the Gunner's would have turned down. Last year, MacCready had been part of a backup squad, responding to a distress call from a base in downtown Boston. By the time they arrived, every Gunner in the building was dead. Well, all but one, but he was on his way out. Gut shot and legs broken, he was propped up near the entrance, waiting to be found. In his last moments, he talked about a man matching Kellogg's description, methodical in his murder, cold and ruthless. It seemed as if Kellogg had wanted him to stay alive just long enough. Wanted someone to pass on the message that he had been there, and was to be feared and avoided.

“Found the file!” Ellie thrust a handful of papers at Nick, who glanced through them.

“The description matches.” He sighed, setting the papers down on the desk. “Bald head. Scar. Reputation for dangerous mercenary work, but no one knows who his employer is.” He turned back to Ellie. “He bought a house here in town, right? And he had a kid with him, didn't he?”

“Yeah, that's right. The house in the abandoned West Stands.” She put her hand on her chin. “The boy with him was around ten years old.”

“Another kidnapped kid?” Alice asked eagerly.

“Could be. Or maybe he has a son of his own. Either way, they both vanished a while back.” Nick stood up from his desk, and handed the file back to Ellie. “Once it gets dark, let's take a walk over to Kellogg's last known address. See if we can snoop out where he went.”

Alice frowned.

“Why wait?”

“Well, we don't need the whole of Diamond City knowing we're snooping around up there. Security tends to get uppity.”

“Oh.”

 

MacCready set his hand on the desk next to Alice, and leaned forward.

“Look, since it's going to take a while for the sun to go down, I'm going to go get us some supplies. Water, food, ammo. Do you need anything?”

She looked up at him, and sighed.

“I need a lot of things.”

“Anything I can buy at the market?”

“Not unless they sell time machines, or very strong liquor.” She pinched the bridge of her nose with slender fingers. “Just, please come back, okay?”

“Don't worry. I'll be back soon.” He gave what he hoped was a reassuring smile, and backed out of the office towards the afternoon sun. When the door shut, he leaned against it and pulled off his hat. _What the heck did I sign on for?_ He ran his fingers through his hair and sighed. _Maybe I should just take off._ 200 caps were burning a hole in his pocket, and he could try and make another attempt on the medical center. _What kind of man would I be if I left her here?_ He put his hat back on and headed towards the market. _Not the kind of man I promised Duncan I would be._

 

It only took him ten minutes to pick up the supplies he thought they would need, so MacCready headed towards the Dugout Inn. _She does really seem like she needs a drink._ Vadim was behind the bar, and gave him a warm welcome.

“MacCready! It has been many months!” The bartender's large hand reached over and clapped him on the shoulder. “How are things?”

“Not too bad, picked up a new client.”

“Ah ha!” Vadim grinned. “Client from Diamond City? That would be new for you!”

“Nah, she's not from around here.” He looked around the bar, making sure nobody was too close. “She's pretty new to the Commonwealth, actually.”

Vadim leaned forward on the bar, and raised his eyebrows suggestively.

“Is it that cute blond that was wandering around last week?” He laughed. “Why did you not bring her with you into the bar? I think I could be very charming, convince her to stick around maybe.” MacCready shook his head with a laugh.

“I'm actually wanted a few beers to take to where she's staying right now. Mind passing some my way?” He tossed a few caps on the counter. “And with you on the prowl, I'll make sure to keep her far away from the bar.”

“MacCready, you wound me!” Vadim laughed, and pulled several beers out from under the counter. “You know I am honorable.”

“Yeah, yeah, you're a regular saint.” He shoved the beers into his bag, gave Vadim a wave, and headed out of the bar.

 

When he got back to the agency, Nick and Ellie looked up with surprise from a stack of papers.

“I wasn't sure you were coming back.” Nick said, drumming his fingers on the desk.

MacCready scowled at him, and held up the bag from the market.

“Said I was going to get supplies, wasn't I?” He looked around, noticing a significant emptiness of the room. “Where'd she go?”

“Upstairs on the roof.” Ellie pointed behind him, to the next room. “She seemed like she needed some air.”

“Right. I'll just... head up there.” He backed away awkwardly, and made his way up the stairs and out the door to the roof.

 

Alice was lying on her back with her eyes closed, her feet pulled up close so her knees stuck up in the air. Dogmeat was curled up next to her seemingly asleep, but he perked his ears up and trotted over as MacCready approached. While he waited for the dog's approval, he stared down at Alice. She had taken her hair out of the tight bun, and let it lay around her head like a blond halo. In the full daylight, he noticed a patch of freckles spread across her nose and cheeks. _Vadim was right. She is cute._ There wasn't a lot of 'cute' left in the world. There was beauty, Lucy had been beautiful, Magnolia was beautiful, but Alice's face had a softness to it that he had only seen in the pre-war books and magazines Lucy had loved to look at. _Is this what everybody looked like before the war?_ Her gray eyes flicked open to stare at him, and she raised her eyebrows.

“You doing alright?” MacCready asked, leaning his rifle against the wall and taking a seat on the metal roof. She shrugged and looked back at the sky.

“Everything blew up, everybody I know is dead, and my favorite stadium is a shantytown.” She sighed. “This world can officially bite my ass.”

MacCready blinked slowly.

“That... was not the answer I was expecting.” He reached into his bag, pulled out a beer, and held it over her face. “Here. Got you something.”

She stared at it suspiciously.

“Is this... 200 year old beer?”

“Nah, some of the breweries are up and running.” He hoped it was newly brewed, and not found in a ruin. Vadim had been known to sell anything alcoholic he could get his hands on. “I'll open it for you.”

She reached up and grabbed it from him, then pulled herself to a sitting position. Her hair hung down just below her shoulders and shone in the light. His fingers twitched involuntarily as he stared at it. When Lucy had been pregnant, she had taught him how to brush and braid her long black hair to keep it out of her face. The braids had come in handy as she got sick from the growing baby. Alice's hair was frizzy and kinked from the tight bun, and for some reason, all he wanted to do was run his fingers through it. _This is stupid. It doesn't even look like Lucy's. It's just hair._ He blinked rapidly, realizing she was talking to him with her hand outstretched.

“Sorry, what?”

“Can I use your lighter?”

He dug it out of his pocket, and handed it to her. With a look of concentration, she popped the cap off the beer with the edge of the lighter.

“Cute trick.” He caught the lighter in one hand as she tossed it back. “Where'd you learn to do that?”

“Well, I did go to college.”

“I have no idea what that means.” He laughed. “Don't forget, you're really old.”

She sighed, and leaned against the wall.

“Oh great. You're an ass.”

“I may have been told that before.” He opened his beer, and took a sip. “It does sounds familiar.” She shook her head with a snort, and took a long drink from her beer.

“Oh.” She made a face. “Are you sure this isn't 200 years old?”

“I have no idea. Got it from the Dugout Inn.” He pointed in the general direction. An image of Vadim's broad smile popped into his head. “And you should never go in there.”

“That dangerous?” She tilted her head to the side.

“Nah. Vadim the bartender thinks you'd make a pretty wife.”

“Oh.” She wrinkled her face with mock concern. “It's a bit soon for that kind of thing.”

“If it makes you feel any better, he does own the bar.”

“Oh, well that changes everything. Sign me up.”

She laughed, showing off perfect teeth, and MacCready bit his lip self-consciously. Dental hygiene wasn't a priority in the wasteland in general, and especially not in Little Lamplight. The state of his teeth had never bothered him before, but seeing how untarnished and pristine she was... It was starting to make him feel dirty and broken.

 

As he stared out towards the market, she cleared her throat to get his attention.

“So, this Kellogg guy. You've heard of him?”

“Rumors mostly.” He swirled his beer in the bottle. “Never saw him. Saw his handiwork once. The guy knows what he's doing.”

Alice squirmed uncomfortably.

“Oh. Not in a good way, I hope.”

“Definitely not in a good way. He's the worst kind of merc. Worse than the Gunners.”

“And you left the Gunners.”

“Yeah. Didn't agree with their methods. I was making decent caps, though.”

She took a long drink from her beer.

“So, caps are your priority? Above everything?”

“Well, I've been-” _Wait. What is she getting at?_ He stared at her with confusion. _She didn't want me to know the truth about her vault. And she's been nervous around me since she mentioned being the 'backup.'_ He put his face in his hand, and sighed. “Do you think I'm going to sell you out to Kellogg or the Institute or something?” Alice was silent, but the guilty expression on her face told him he was right. He set his beer down, and held up both his hands in a gesture of surrender. “You hired me to help you. And that's what I'm going to do.”

She didn't look convinced.

“Kellogg is possibly the most dangerous man in the Commonwealth, and you want to hunt him down. It's a terrible idea. Possibly the worst idea ever.”

“Oh. Thanks.”

“Hear me out for a second.” He reached down, and grabbed his beer. “This is a very bad idea. But you made it to Goodneighbor on your own, so you obviously aren't completely hopeless. And I agreed to help you, right? We'll find you a shotgun, and I'll give you some pointers on how to better handle that pistol of yours. If we can take Kellogg by surprise, we have the chance to rid the Commonwealth of one sick son-of-a-gun.”

She still didn't look convinced.

“Also, you know, I want to help you find your son.” He shrugged, and took another sip of his beer. “I've got a soft spot for kids.”

“How can I trust you?”

“Well, I didn't take off or kill you in your sleep last night, right?”

“That's... not very comforting.”

They stared at each other in silence, the city sounds replacing the conversation. MacCready took his cap off, and wiped his forehead, letting the breeze ruffle his hair. He set the cap on his knee, and reached into his pocket for Lucy's patch. After giving it a reassuring squeeze, he sighed.

“Look, I promised someone that I would work on being a better man. And helping you is something a better man would do. Okay?”

She blinked, startled by his honesty. A smile of relief spread across her face, and she slowly started twisting her hair back into its bun.

“Thank you.”

“Don't mention it.” He stretched his arms out over his head, then replaced his cap. “Now if you don't mind, I'm going to head inside and catch a few hours of shut-eye before we embark on this heroic mission of ours. I recommend you do too.”

 

As he pulled himself up, he watched her out of the corner of his eye. When she thought he wasn't looking, she very carefully slid a knife out from under her leg and replaced it in its sheath on her belt. _If she thought I was a threat, was she really going to try and stab me in the middle of Diamond City?_ He wasn't sure if he should be amused or horrified. _She must have really been terrified I was going to sell her out._ He waited for her, leaning against the wall until she stood up and opened the door to let Dogmeat back into the office. As she moved to follow the dog inside, MacCready reached over her head and grabbed the edge of the door. He held it tightly against her pulling, to prove without words that he had the strength to stop her from doing whatever it was she had planned on doing with that knife. He stepped behind her and leaned forward, letting himself get slightly too close for comfort. He really disliked doing it but had to get the message across loud and clear.

“For the record,” he murmured. “That would have been your second dumbest idea ever. You're going to need to trust me if you want to survive out here.” She nodded, the tips of her ears turning pink. He released the door, and stepped back. She spun to face him, her face angry.

“I...” She let the words trail off. “Don't do that again.”

“I don't think I'll need to.” He grinned as she looked up at him, trying to lighten the moment. “Stop worrying. I'm not going to let anything bad happen to you.'” She nodded, but still looked irritated. “Plus, if we pull this off, we stand to make a whole lotta caps.”

Alice rolled her eyes, and turned away from him into the gloom of the office. MacCready put his face in his hands and inhaled deeply. _Yeah, this is the worst idea ever._

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hooray, baby finally slept, so I could write a bit. And really, I'm just writing this to get it out of my head. I honestly don't think I'm very good at this. But whatever. I'm enjoying it.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

 

MacCready woke to a sharp poke in his ribs. Alice was crouched in front of him, thankfully not holding her knife. He rubbed his eyes, and blinked up at her while Dogmeat's tail thumped on the floor happily, and the dog lunged forward to lick his face. As he pushed the dog away, Alice shrugged her shoulders.

“Nick says it's time to go.” She rocked back on her heels, then bounced to her feet. “Here.” She offered her hand to him, wiggling her fingers impatiently. He grabbed her hand tightly, shocked at the softness of her skin. No calluses, no rough patches, no broken and poorly healed fingers. Just a few cuts, and the beginnings of a small blister. Flustered, he adjusted his grip and used the wall to help pull himself up. He released her hand quickly and clenched his fist into a ball. _None of that, now. Keep your focus._

“Here.” He reached down and grabbed a small rucksack. “I picked this up for you at the market. It's got some food, water, ammo, and a bedroll. Should help keep you alive.”

“Thank you.” Her initial surprise quickly turned to suspicion. “Did you buy this with the caps I paid you? Do I have to reimburse you?”

“No, no, no. You've got it wrong.” He held up his hand in a sign of peace. “It's like I'm making an investment that'll pay off later. Can't make caps from you if you're dead.”

Her eyes were still narrowed, but she accepted the bag from him and slung it over her back. He followed her down the narrow stairs, and back into the small office where Nick Valentine was waiting for them by the door.

“It will be dark enough for us to be generally unnoticed.” He gave a small wave to his assistant as they filed out of the agency. “I thought you two might want to grab a bowl of noodles before we get started. Not sure when you'll get to eat something hot again.”

MacCready grinned, the noodle stand in Diamond City was one of his favorite places in the Commonwealth to get food, and his stomach rumbled just thinking about it.

 

When they got to the noodle bar, MacCready took a seat next to Alice, and Nick sat across from them while Dogmeat curled up under their bar stools. The robotic chef turned towards them, and Nick held up two fingers with a nod. With a loud clanking, it approached with two bowls of noodles and two Nuka-Colas. Throughout the meal, MacCready noticed that the more hot food she ate, the more Alice's mood seemed to improve. Already she seemed like a different person than the lost and dejected woman she had been in Nick's office, and the suspicious, frustrated woman she had been on the roof. A light was returning to her eyes and pink to her cheeks. _When was the last time she had a safe, warm meal? Heck, when was the last time I had a safe, warm meal?_

“So, now that we're done going over your case, there were a couple other questions I wanted to ask.” Nick put his elbows on the bar in front of them and leaned forward. “Don't worry, they aren't hard ones, just things I was curious about.” Alice nodded, her mouth full of noodles. “We need to find out what you can do after we find your son. Find a way to set you up for a sustainable life. So, what did you do before? As a job.”

She swallowed her food and smiled, one side of her mouth pulling up higher than the other.

“Lawyer.” She laughed as Nick looked surprised. “Criminal defense, but I left the practice when I had Shaun. Had an interview lined up with the DA's office, but then...” She waved her hand at the city and took another bite of her noodles. “Don't think my law degree's going to do me much good now.”

“Yeah.” MacCready nodded. “Judges and juries are a thing of the past. Swift justice is the only way to solve the problems ruining our world.”

“Well, that's seven years of college wasted.” She snorted. “Should have taken radiation poisoning 101, or advanced 'building shit out of rubble and garbage'.”

MacCready tried to cover his laughing with a cough. _Didn't think she was going to be funny. Was starting to think she was going to be one of the mopiest clients ever. We might actually have some fun if we don't die horribly._

“If you were doing office things, where'd you learn to use a gun?” He scratched the back of his neck.

“I was alone and pregnant when Nate shipped out to Anchorage, and there was a 'lady's defense league' forming in town.” She rolled her eyes and gave her hands a wave. “In case 'Red China' invaded while our brave men-folk were away. They gave lessons on a lot of different things like shooting and self-defense. I figured it couldn't help to learn to defend myself if things went crazy.” She paused, staring into the bowl of noodles. “Crazier.”

“Good thing, or you would never have made it to Goodneighbor.”

“Or to me,” Nick added. “The Triggermen are no joke.”

“Wait.” It was MacCready's turn to be surprised. “What about the Triggermen?”

“I was stuck in a locked room while tracking down Skinny Malone's new dame.” Nick drummed his fingers on the tabletop. “Alice came looking on Ellie's behalf, worked her way to me, then managed to talk our way out of a sticky situation with Skinny himself.”

“Lawyer skills!” She grinned, then looked down towards her feet. “Plus, Dogmeat helped.” Dogmeat barked happily.

“Aww hey! Looks like your schooling wasn't completely useless after all.” MacCready elbowed her in the arm, and she wrinkled her nose back at him. When she turned her attention back to Nick with a satisfied grin, MacCready stared at her, taking her seriously for the first time since she had walked into the Third Rail. _So she's not a total liability. Maybe we actually have a chance to pull this off._ He sighed. _Once she gets over her culture shock, that is._

 

Nick groaned and ducked his head down.

“Oh hell. Piper's coming this way.” He leaned in, dropping his voice to a low growl. “If she gets any wind of your story, it'll be all over the Commonwealth by morning. And I'm thinking we should keep your personal history under wraps for now.” He looked around suspiciously. “Pre-war relics are usually very feared, or very sought after.”

“I'm not a relic!” Alice hissed indignantly.

“Yeah, you are kind of an antique,” MacCready said with a shrug. “But a very well preserved antique, not rusty or anything.” She glared at him, but she couldn't hold it for long. She failed at fighting off a smile, and quickly occupied herself with eating. She hunched her shoulders as if she was trying to make herself as small as possible, but it didn't work, Piper was heading straight towards them with determination on her face.

“Nick!” She grinned as she clapped the detective on the back. “I see my new friend did end up finding you.” She perched herself on a bar stool next to Nick and folded her hands on the table. _Just because she doesn't have her notebook, doesn't mean she isn't dangerous._ “MacCready.” She nodded curtly at him, which he returned. He wasn't exactly on her list of favorite people, having once steered her in the completely wrong direction for one of her stories about Beacon Hill. He had sworn it wasn't on purpose, but they both knew it was.

“Piper.” Nick tipped his hat. “How do you know our mutual friend?”

“Oh, we met outside the gate the other day. Blue helped me get back inside when McDonough had locked me out.”

“Blue?” Alice looked confused.

“Cause you're a vault dweller?” Piper cocked her head to the side with a smile. “I know you're not wearing the blue jumpsuit right now, but the Pip-Boy and that 'fish out of water' look? Dead giveaways.”

“Oh.” Alice slowly slid her arm off the table, and onto her lap where it was out of sight from the rest of the market. MacCready glared at Piper. _What else can she tell? She has to know something else is odd._

“But look, you're busy with Nick. But I'm going to look you up when you get back. I've got a great story in mind that you'd be perfect for!” She hopped off her bar stool and started walking away. That was always the way with Piper, she'd appear, stir things up, then saunter off. _Can't let her leave without a little hassling..._

“Hey, Piper!” He called after her. “When are we going to do that one-on-one interview?”

“Not in a million years, MacCready!” She yelled over her shoulder, disappearing into the crowd.

“Here's her headline,” said Alice dryly. “'Local woman says, 'No.'”

MacCready snorted into his drink, as Nick shook his head.

“She's a tenacious one, that Piper.” He sighed, and gestured at the empty bowls. “Ready to go?”

They followed him through the market, the chill of the night air closing around them as they moved away from the main crush of people. Their path took them up an obviously unused set of stairs towards the only house in the city without any lights. MacCready felt the hairs on the back of his neck raising, usually a sure sign that something wasn't right.

 

“Locked.” Nick groaned, trying the door. “Well, it was too much to hope he had left the door unlocked when he left. Let me see if I can get it open.” He knelt down, peering at the small keyhole. “Hey, MacCready. Go to the edge of the landing and make sure no guards are coming.”

“Yes, sir!” MacCready gave a mock salute and sauntered over to the railing. He dug in his pocket for his lighter and the packet of smokes he had picked up earlier. He leaned back against the railing, trying to look casual as he kept watch over his shoulder for any city guards. After a few moments, his attention drifted back to Nick and Alice, huddled around the door. They were speaking quickly, Nick making strange gestures with his hands. After a minute or so, Alice walked over to MacCready with a sigh.

“Nick can't pick the lock.” She folded her arms across her chest. “He says it's some kind of custom thing, and we need the key.”

“Where the heck are we gonna get that?”

“The mayor, apparently. The house went back to the city when Kellogg took off.”

“The mayor's office is near the entrance of the city,” Nick called over. “There's a platform that should take you up.”

Alice uncrossed her arms and tugged MacCready's sleeve gently.

“Come on, let's get up there before they shut down for the night.” She paused and looked down. “Dogmeat, you stay here with Nick, and keep watch?” The dog whined and gave her a pathetic stare. “I know it's not fair, but I'll be right back.”

She ruffled the fur on his head and lead MacCready back down into the city.

 

The market was still crowded, the vendors still an hour or so away from closing up. Nobody paid them much attention, except for one city guard, who paid Alice a little too much attention. MacCready glared at him as they passed, and felt a little twinge in his chest. He pushed it away hurriedly, picking up his pace to keep up with hers. They paused at the base of the elevator, and Alice looked up with a nervous expression.

“The press boxes?” She stepped gingerly onto the rickety lift and gripped the edge tightly. “In this thing?”

“Don't worry, we'll be fine.” MacCready reached past her and smacked the button. “People have been riding this thing all day every day for hundreds of years.”

“That's what I'm afraid of.” She whispered as the motor groaned with effort.

When they reached the top, she practically threw herself into the Mayor's reception office. A thin woman sat behind a desk, a sour look on her face.

“The mayor is still receiving visitors, as long as they aren't members of the press.” She gave them both a patronizing stare. “Did you need help?”

Alice cleared her throat, and MacCready was impressed to see her entire demeanor change in an instant. She held herself straighter, her chin was higher, and she gave off an air of extreme confidence.

“Who do I talk to if I need to find a key to a house that's been locked up?” Her voice was strong and strangely compelling. The receptionist's face softened.

“If you're talking about a property that the city has seized, we only have one on the books. Mister Kellogg's old house.” She looked around quickly, then leaned forward as if she was imparting some great secret. “You'd have to ask the mayor directly if you want the keys.”

“I'll just go talk to the mayor then.” Alice breezed past the desk towards the back office. As she opened the door, she leaned back and hissed under her breath. “I can feel the gears of bureaucracy grinding me up already.”

MacCready shook his head with a laugh. _This is going to be interesting._

 

The Mayor was staring out the window, his back to the door. As then entered, MacCready gave the room a quick scan, then made sure to stay behind Alice. She coughed politely, and the mayor turned to face them.

“Ah, yes. I remember you. Our new arrival.” He was trying to smile, but his eyes were cold. “I wish I was in your shoes. Getting to see our glorious city for the first time. How can I help you?”

“I'm looking for a key to the house in the city.” Alice was still using the new voice but somehow had made it softer. “I assume the mayor's office has a copy?”

McDonough gave a small chuckle.

“Well, we don't have EVERY key in the city. Where would we put them all? Ha ha ha.” The chuckle died, and the smile slid off his face. “Besides, every citizen in my city has a right to their privacy. Now, if we did have a key, only the owner can ask for it. I'm sorry, but that's my final word.”

The rejection seemed to hit Alice hard. She immediately dropped the confident attitude, letting her shoulders sink, and her expression droop. She blinked rapidly as if trying to hold back tears.

“Please, Mayor McDonough,” Her voice was breathy and slow. “This man Kellogg kidnapped my son. I need to find him!” She placed her hand over her mouth, and turned away from the mayor, resting her head on MacCready's shoulder. _What the hell is she... She's playing him. That crafty little-_ Playing along, he put his arm around her, holding her protectively and glaring at McDonough. He tried to ignore how nice it felt to hold someone that closely. It had been a long time since he had had any kind of intimacy. _Professional professional professional._

“Oh, of course... I-I will do everything in my power to help you overcome this horrible personal tragedy.” The mayor began rummaging in a file cabinet. “I remember Mister Kellogg,” he said. “Didn't like him myself. Paranoid. Never talked to anyone. I doubt you'll find him.” He lifted the key triumphantly. “But I insist you take the key to his old house. It's been abandoned, though. I'm afraid this whole thing might be fruitless.”

“Thank you.” she sniffled, pulling away from MacCready. She gently took the key from the mayor's hand with a small smile. “You have no idea how much this means to me.”

He patted her gently on the arm.

“Good luck, young lady.”

 

As returned to the lift, Alice leaned over and shook her head slightly.

“Don't say a word until we get back to Nick.” She hissed.

“But... How...”

She shook her head again, then gestured towards the windows of the office. McDonough was illuminated against the light, watching their decent. She reached out and grabbed the edge of his jacket, pulling herself against his chest as the lift began its decent.

“Are you still working your angle or just afraid of heights?” MacCready murmured, trying to move his lips as little as possible, and trying again to ignore her warmth.

“Both. Now shut up.”

When they reached the bottom, the mayor was no longer in the window. Alice released him and pushed herself away. She took off at a brisk pace back towards Kellogg's house, and MacCready found himself jogging to keep up. Once they arrived at the base of the stairs, she turned and looked up at him.

“Thanks for your help back there. For a minute I didn't think he was going to go for it.”

“Yeah, not a problem.” He scratched behind his ear. “A little warning next time would be nice, though.”

“Sorry about that. Had to think on the fly.” She grinned. “Looks like lawyer skills might actually come in handy.”

“Looks like they might.”

Before she could turn to walk up the stairs, he held up a finger.

“You haven't... done that to me, have you?”

“Of course not!” She said indignantly. “If you're supposed to keep me alive, you have to trust me.”

“Good to know.”

“Besides,” she cocked her head to the side. “I don't think it would have worked on you. You would have seen right through it.”

“Damn straight.” He nodded and walked past her towards Nick. _Would I? Really? I've done some dumb things for a pretty face before..._ He kicked himself mentally. _Cool it. She's barely been a widow a month. Well, a month that she knows of. But nothing's going to come from thinking about her like that, other than awkwardness. Can't make the client uncomfortable. Just push it away._

 

“Got the key?” Nick was leaning against the wall with another cigarette in his fingers. _Why does he do that when nobody's looking?_ “Let's head in. You do the honors.”

The door stuck a bit after being unlocked, but Alice gave it a shove with her shoulder. The small room inside was cluttered with junk, seemingly scattered at random. The lights were dim as if the bulbs were on their last legs.

“Well, this is charming.” MacCready wrinkled his nose, pushing a tin can with his foot. “Can't imagine why he'd wanted to leave.”

“Let's look around,” Nick said, shooting MacCready a disapproving look. “Kellogg must have left something behind.”

“Yeah, he left a lot of junk behind.”

“I meant something useful.”

Alice busied herself with poking through the random boxes on a small shelf, while MacCready helped himself to the few caps left in an old toolbox. Nick stared at the walls, his face deep in concentration.

“Place seem small to you? Figured a guy like Kellogg would think big...” He frowned. “Nothing here. Did you check out that desk?”

MacCready opened the drawers, revealing nothing but empty Nuka-Cola bottles, and an empty box of cram. He shook his head.

“Nothing here.”

“What about under it?” Alice walked over and knelt down. She rummaged around for a minute, before laughing triumphantly. Slowly, a part of the wall slide aside, revealing a second room.

“Well,” Nick said. “That's one way to hide a room.”

 

The secret room was smaller than the first, and even more poorly lit. But shelves of supplies lined the walls, abandoned in a hurry by their original owner.

“C'mere!” MacCready grabbed the straps on Alice's knapsack and dragged her backward towards the shelves.

“Hey!” She protested, but he ignored her and unlatched the bag, then started shoving water and ammo into it.

“Just hold still for a minute. He's not going to need any of this stuff, and we do.”

“Look at this,” Nick said, rummaging through a large sack. “All of a merc's favorite things.” He held up a frag grenade. MacCready held his hand out and twitched his fingers, gesturing for Nick to hand it to him. As he added it to the rest of the supplies, Alice twisted to stared at him in horror.

“Is that a GRENADE? Don't put that in there!”

“Oh calm down. It'll be fine. Just don't jiggle around too much.” He grinned at her, but she didn't look convinced.

“If you two are done over there, we should start looking for any clues.” Nick sighed.

Alice waited for MacCready to close up the bag, then wandered over to the small table in the center of the room. She leaned over, peering at the collection of items scattered across it.

“Gwinnett Stout Beer, forty-four caliber bullets, and cigars.” She picked up the packed and examined it critically. “'San Francisco Sunlights.'”

“Interesting brand.” Nick frowned. “Won't lead us anywhere on its own, though.”

“Any suggestions?”

“Hmm...” He scratched his head. “What about Dogmeat? A Commonwealth mutt like him can track a man's scent for miles. Why don't we let him have a whiff?”

Alice nodded, and they headed back outside. Dogmeat was excited, spinning in circles and barking gently. _Smart dog. Knows something's up._

“Before you head out, I know this is personal business.” Nick gave Alice a reassuring smile. “I'll be waiting here when you get back.”

“You think we have a shot?” She looked at him nervously.

“Kellogg is dangerous, but so are you. You don't need to be afraid of him, or anything else the Commonwealth throws at you.”

“Thank you for everything, Nick.” As she knelt down to scratch Dogmeat behind the ears. Nick grabbed MacCready by the sleeve and pulled him aside.

“I know your reputation around Goodneighbor, and I know you're good at what you do,” he said quietly. “I trust you'll bring her back safely.”

“I will.” MacCready clapped the synth on the shoulder. “Don't worry.”

“MacCready!” Alice called. “Dogmeat's got a scent! We gotta go now!” He turned away from Nick and watched the dog bound away. Alice was following at a slower pace, walking backward as she gestured to him.

“You heard the lady,” Nick said. “Better get a move on.”

 

MacCready jogged down the stairs, and through the market. When they reached the main gate, he slowed up, whistling for Dogmeat to stop.

“Look, it's dark as heck out here, and I hate traveling at night.” He stared out at the city. “But this might be our best chance to get out without being noticed. Let's be as quiet and careful as possible, and try to avoid running into any ambushes.”

“Right.”

“I mean it. If I tell you to shut up and get down, you have to listen to me.”

“I get it.” She sounded exasperated. “You're the boss.”

“Nah, technically you're the boss. I'm just protecting my investment.”

She rolled her eyes at him, and slowly started walking into the dark of the city. MacCready looked up at the walls of Diamond City, soaking it all in, just in case it was the last time he ever saw its lights. _Here goes nothing._

 

 


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

 

The wasteland was never truly pitch black. Electric lights connected to failing generators flickered and cracked, and radioactive mushrooms glowed ominously. That night, the moon was bright but not quite full, giving off just enough light to see as their eyes adjusted to the darkness. As they moved quietly through the shadows, MacCready sighed, and gave a low whistle. Alice and Dogmeat both slowed, and turned to face him.

“We're heading out into the open.” He hissed. “Less chance of an ambush, but less cover. If I tell you to get down and stay quiet, do it.”

“Right,” Alice whispered back. “I'll stay behind you.”

“No, stay where I can see you. Safer that way.”

She narrowed her eyes like she was going to argue, but seemed to think better of it. She nodded and scratched Dogmeat behind the ears.

 

However, before they could move, the sound of an argument echoed from down the old street. Four raiders wandered into view, bickering loudly about dividing a score of jet. Their meandering path drew them closer, their voices getting much louder and more erratic as the argument escalated.

“Okay, here's how this is going to go,” MacCready whispered. “They haven't seen us yet. I can get at least two of them down, maybe three. Think you can handle at least one?”

“Got it.” She pulled her pistol out of its holster, holding it at the ready. MacCready took a knee, aiming carefully at the silhouettes. He exhaled, letting his lungs empty completely, and fired at the largest raider. It dropped, the shot connecting above the ear. The raiders turned towards them, bursting into a full run. A second raider went down with a shot to the face, blood spraying onto its companions. The remaining two continued their charge, one firing wildly with a pistol, the other swinging a large knife.

MacCready stood, and narrowed his focus on the raider with the gun, catching it in the chest. It swore loudly at him, continuing to stumble forward. It fell to the ground as its knee exploded from Alice's shot, leaving its head exposed for her to finish it off. Before he could aim at the final raider, it was upon them, screaming as it waved its knife.

“Duck!” Alice yelled, and he dropped back down to his knees as the serrated blade swung past his face. _Should have put my bayonet on. Dammit._ Alice fired, getting four shots off that hit the raider in the neck and face. It crumbled to the ground face down, blood pooling around its body. _So she's got good aim, and good reflexes. Nice to know._

 

MacCready stood and nudged the nearest body with his foot, rolling it over, then gestured towards the other bodies further away.

“We need to search them for ammo and caps.” He knelt down and started opening pockets. “Think you can handle that?”

“I think so.” Alice wrinkled her nose, heading towards the raider she had shot in the knee. “I feel a bit bad, stealing from a corpse.”

“Why? It's not like they're going to need this stuff anymore.”

“I guess you're right.” She tried to avoid looking at the faces of the dead raider and started carefully unbuttoning pockets.

“Good. Grab anything else you find that we might be able to sell later.” He jogged over to another corpse. She responded with a noise that might have been retching, and he couldn't help but laugh. _She's going to have to get used to the finer parts of living in the wasteland. I'm betting she didn't spend much time looting dead bodies before._ “You okay over there?”

“Getting better.” She admitted. “This whole 'killing and looting' thing is hard to get used to.” She snorted. “After I got out of the vault, I ran into a group of raiders in Concord. I was still in a complete haze, and don't know how I did it, but I managed to take out seven of them.”

“That's not bad.” _Not bad at all._

“Yeah but once the coast was clear, I threw up.” She sighed. “A lot.” MacCready laughed, shaking his head.

“You threw up.”

“I'd never killed anybody before! It's not something lawyers do!” She sat back on her heels, looking

back at him. He laughed, shaking his head, and she turned away, continuing to daintily pick through the pockets of the raider.

“I'm gonna go check the bodies over there, you stay with Dogmeat.” She nodded without looking up.

 

The other two raiders didn't have much on them, but the large man who had gone down first was clutching a combat shotgun in dirty, scarred fingers. MacCready grinned, grabbing the leather strap and slinging it over his shoulder.

“If you're done over there, I found something for you.” He called, and she stood up, furiously wiping her hands on her pants. “Seriously?” He asked, shaking his head. “Did you get all prissy on me now?”

“Stuff it, MacCready.” She shot back, folding her arms across her chest and raising her eyebrows.

He held out the shotgun he had found, almost as a peace offering. “You mentioned you wanted one. That raider had one. He doesn't need it now.” She gently lifted it out of his grip and examined it carefully. “There's ammo for it in your pack.”

“Thank you.” She slung the gun over her shoulder and smiled. Behind them, Dogmeat barked excitedly and took off running.

 

They followed the dog, veering off the main road towards a small pool of water. A pallet had been placed like a dock, with a beat up chair set up on it. An old box was upturned next to the chair, used as a table for an ashtray. Dogmeat circled it excitedly while Alice jogged over and knelt beside the box. She picked up a cigar from the ashtray and rolled it gently between her fingers.

“Kellogg?” MacCready asked, scanning the nearby area for any movement.

“I think so.” She held the cigar out for Dogmeat to sniff. “This the right scent?” Dogmeat gave a quiet bark and spun in a circle. “San Francisco Sunlights. Kellogg's preferred brand, alright.” She looked thoughtful for a moment, then shook her head.

“Everything okay?”

“Yeah, just... thinking about San Francisco for a moment. I had family there.” She shrugged. “I wonder what happened to them... if there were bombs... if they survived.”

“Oh. Sorry.” He busied himself searching the campsite for anything useful, frowning as he only found junk, and a locked ammo case. “Looks like there's nothing here we can take. Let's move on.”

“Hang on a second.” Alice sat down cross-legged in front of the ammo case, examining the lid. After a few moments, she pulled a small screwdriver out of a pocket and a bobby pin out of her hair, then began working at the lock. She looked up at him and grinned as the lock popped open, exposing the contents of the ammo case. _When did she learn to do that?_

“Looks like you've done that a few times. I thought you said you didn't have any useful skills.” MacCready folded his arms across his chest as she shoved boxes of bullets into her knapsack.

“No, I said I was a lawyer. Nick asked me what I did as a job before the war.” She stood up, readjusting the pack and the gun strap. “I wasn't sure it was the best time to mention a wild and somewhat criminal youth.”

That peaked MacCready's interest. As much as he didn't want to make her sad by bringing up her life before, he was incredibly curious to hear about this side of her.

“What kind of criminal youth?”

She shrugged again as they began following Dogmeat away from the campsite, down an overgrown set of railroad tracks.

“I was a bored teen with a rebellious streak, I guess. Didn't do anything too terrible, nothing violent, just little things, like taking a friend's parent's car for a joyride, or breaking into the corner store to steal beer and surfboard wax.” She smiled at the memories. “Sneaking into bars to go dancing, hopping the fence to go swimming at a closed beach...” Her voice trailed off as she stared at MacCready. He was trying to comprehend a life where those kind of things were possible, where the world wasn't constantly trying to kill you, where petty theft and trespassing wouldn't get you immediately shot. “I'm... guessing you didn't really do any of those things when you were a teenager.”

“No.” He said, trying to keep his voice even. “I was busy trying to protect my friends from raiders and slavers.”

“Oh., right.” She paused, looking embarrassed. “How old were you when you first killed someone?”

“Ten.”

“Ten?” Her jaw dropped. “That's terrible.”

“That's the way of the wasteland, Sweetheart. You're going to have to get used to it.”

“Sorry.” She mumbled. “I didn't think.”

“It's fine.” He was glad she hadn't commented on “Sweetheart”, it had slipped out before he could stop it. He cleared his throat, checked to make sure nothing was following them and tried to clear the image of a teenage Alice out of him mind. The more he thought about it, the more he was intrigued by the revelation of roguish side to her personality. _If we survive dealing with Kellogg, it might actually be beneficial to partner up. Seems she got some useful skills, and a lack of morals in the right places._

 

They walked in contemplative silence until Dogmeat lead them through some dead grass and down a stairwell towards the freeway. Kellogg's handiwork greeted them at the bottom of the stairs. Dead raiders littered the ground, scattered amongst the remains of cars and trucks. MacCready pointed at one leaning against the wall near them.

“Time to get to work. You want to take that one?”

“Not especially.”

“Just be glad these are freshly dead. They don't smell, and it means Kellogg was here recently.” He looked down at the raider below him. It was a woman about Alice's size, wearing thick straps and not a lot more. There wasn't much to loot, but she did have leather fingerless gloves on. MacCready peeled them off her hands and tried wiping them off on his pants to remove the dried blood. He shoved the gloves in his back pocket and continued looting.

Several minutes later, he wandered over to check on Alice. She had unbuckled the shoulder armor off one of the raiders and was holding it up to what she was already wearing.

“What do you think?”

“Well, it will fit better, and you'll have better range of motion, but I don't really think it's your color.”

She removed her old armor, letting it drop to her feet, and set about attaching the new piece. She fumbled with the straps, the angle of the buckle awkward for her fingers.

“Here. Stand still.” MacCready stepped behind her, gently tightening and securing the buckle. To make sure she still had movement, he ran his finger between the strap and her shirt. Her skin was warm under the thin fabric, and she gave an involuntary shiver. She spun around to face him, nearly taking his hand off.

“Thank you.” She said hurriedly, her face red. “We should go see what Dogmeat has found.”

“Right.” He agreed and followed her towards the stairs on the other side of the freeway. _What the hell was that?_ Dogmeat was sitting patiently next to a wad of bloody bandages. “Do you think these are Kellogg's?”

“I think so.” She poked them with a piece of rebar she had picked up off the ground while he rolled his eyes. “Alright, Boy! Let's keep going!”

“Smart pooch. I could have used a dog like that when I was making my way up here from the Capitol Wasteland.”

Before she could say anything, he held up his hand. At the edge of his hearing, something was moving. He put his back to the wall of the stairwell and gestured for her to do the same.

“What is it?” She whispered.

“Something small, but there's a few of them. Dogs or mole rats most likely.” He readied his gun and made his way quietly up the stairs. “Follow me.”

 

He was right, a pack of three feral dogs was slinking towards them, most likely having picked up their scent. MacCready steadied himself and took aim at the largest of the dogs and fired, striking the dog above its left eye. It collapsed in a heap, while the other two increased their speed. _I'm only going to be able to get one more. Let's hope she actually knows how to use that shotgun._ He quickly took aim again and got his second shot off at the dog furthest from him. It whined as it went down, bleeding from the wound in its chest. The third dog was upon them before he could aim again, but it flew backward from the force of Alice's shotgun blast. His ears rang from the sound, and he rubbed them as he lowered his rifle.

“Whoa.” She said, shaking out her hand. “That's a hell of a kick.”

“We should move.” He motioned with his head. “Everything hostile nearby heard those shots, and will be heading this way.”

Dogmeat barked as if in agreement, and started moving down the tracks again.

 

Once they were out of sight of the dead dogs, Alice slowed her pace to walk beside MacCready.

“You said you came from the Capitol Wasteland?” She wrinkled her eyebrows. “Is that what's left of Washington D.C.?”

“Yeah, I grew up there.” The thoughtful expression from earlier came back, as she flicked a piece of hair out of her face.

“So... How did it look? How bad was it?”

“It took at least one direct hit, I think.” He felt uncomfortable, like telling her about how her world died was going to send her back into the gloom. “Not a lot of people made it.” He mumbled. “Sorry.”

She sighed, and shook her head at him.

“Y'know, I know what you're doing, and you can stop. You don't have to treat me like I'm made glass.”

“What?” He stared at her with confusion.

“When we're talking about the war, I'm not going to break down just because I think about it.” She scratched the back of her neck. “It's frightening and awful, but talking about it makes this whole thing more real. Makes it easier to deal with.” He nodded, unsure of what to say. “Look, the vault was right next to where I used to live. When I got out, my house was still standing, so I went into my old room and just laid down on the wreckage of my bed. I was terrified and heartbroken and I wanted to die.” She fiddled with the strap of her gun, the pink flush spreading across her cheeks barely visible in the dim light. “I was like a ghost, haunting my own house. It took me a week to pull myself together, to start to understand the reality of my situation.”

“You were alone?”

She shook her head.

“Not exactly. We had a Mr. Handy before the war. We called him Codsworth. Somehow... he was still there, waiting for me in the house.”

“Codsworth?” MacCready snorted.

“Nate's idea.” She looked embarrassed. “Anyway, he brought me food and chatted as if nothing had changed. But that seemed to make it worse because everything has. Denying it will just make it worse.”

“I get it.” He thought back to getting forced out of Little Lamplight. “When your whole world changes, it's hard to deal with at first.”

She nodded, gently running her fingers through her bangs.

“It's funny, once I came to Boston for college, I calmed down the more... rough parts of my life. I spent seven years learning how to help people. Protect them with the law. And now there isn't any law. I'm going somewhere with the explicit intent to kill someone. I've already killed people.” She flicked her hair back into place with a sigh. “The worst part of this whole mess? Nate and I were both drafted when the war started, but I was discharged when I got pregnant. Nate shipped out, and I went home.” Her face turned red as her voice got angry. She spun her ring with short flicks of her thumb. “We were supposed to go together, and face the inevitable. They had told us how bad the Alaskan front was, so I stayed at home, got bigger with a child we hadn't prepared for, and tried to brace myself for the news of his death. Every day I waited for the letter, the phone call, the visit... Everybody did. It's how you coped with the day to day.” MacCready stayed quiet, letting her chase the end of her thought. Her face started returning to its normal color, the softness returned to her voice. _Maybe life before wasn't as wonderful as we all think it was._ “But he didn't die in Anchorage, he came home to me. They said he was a hero, that he was discharged, but the war was still going. I knew he'd have to go back eventually. It's like deep down I always knew I'd lose him. I miss him so much, but instead of the raw wound I thought it would be, it's just like a dull ache, like a fog that I've come out of, but it's close behind me.” She stared at her feet. “This is the second time he's left me behind.”

“Why are you telling me all of this?” MacCready asked quietly. He knew that feeling all too well. When Lucy died, it was like someone had made a hole in his chest. But it was part of him now, he wore it like armor. She looked up at him and shrugged.

“Honestly, I don't know.” She looked slightly offended. “I just... wanted to talk for a bit, and then I couldn't stop. If it really bothers you, I can just shut up and we can spend the rest of this trip in silence.”

MacCready blinked in surprise and tried to stammer out a response.

“That's not what I-” He was interrupted by a low growl rumbled from a nearby grove of trees. He threw his arm up against Alice's chest, preventing her from moving any further. This time, she didn't say anything, but stared at him with widening eyes, waiting for instructions. Dogmeat was slinking back to them, the fur on his back raised.

 

They moved off the tracks into the bushes and down an embankment, bellies in the dirt, trying to be as flat to the ground as possible. Dogmeat got behind them, hiding further down the hill. MacCready put his fingers to his lips and stared into the gloom. A few seconds later, a dark shape lumbered into view, wheezing and grunting. It stopped in front of them, smelling the air. _Yao Guai. Not good. It knows we're near._ Slowly he slid his rifle off his back and brought it up into a firing position. Alice watched him carefully and followed suit with her shotgun. He reached over and put his hand over hers, gently pulling her away from the trigger. She squeezed his fingers tightly as she stared in horror at the large animal and he squeezed back, trying to be reassuring. When she released, he carefully brought his hand back and prepared to take aim. _As soon as I hit it, it's going to get mad. I have to get at least one more shot it before it gets to us._ He exhaled, but before he could take his shot, a loud laugh rang out.

“Ah ha! A FIGHT!” The ground shook as three super mutants ran towards the Yao Guai, which roared in response. Alice stared with her mouth open as the monsters fought, tooth and claw against gun and club. After what seemed like an eternity, three defeated one, and the battered super mutants dragged the limp beast away to become dinner.

“Holy hell,” Alice whispered, rolling onto her back. “What just happened?”

MacCready followed suit, staring up at the stars through the thin branches above them.

“A lucky coincidence.” He laughed with relief. “We probably could have taken the Yao Guai or the greenskins, but not both. That would have been a problem.”

 

They lay still, appreciating the quiet and lack of monsters. He looked over at Alice and watched her watch the sky. For a few moments, if he pushed their mission out of his mind, it was quite peaceful. The dirt was soft, the breeze was cool, and he could feel the warmth radiating off her. As if she could sense him looking at her, she turned her head, her face still curious.

“So, if you don't want to listen to me talk about my life, tell me something about yourself.”

“Right. Moment over, time to go.” MacCready rolled back over and crawled out from under the bush. Alice followed, trying to brush the dirt off her pants and out of her hair. “Dogmeat, lead the way.”

Dogmeat crawled back up the ridge and barked happily before trotting off.

“I'm serious.” She protested.

“Why?”

“You had to listen to my whole sob story, you know all of my problems. I don't know anything about you, other than the fact that the Gunner's don't like you, and you're from D.C.”

“That's not enough?”

“ Oh come one. There has to be something you're willing to talk about.”

He stared at her with irritation.

“Why do you care about this so much?”

“Because if we're going to be traveling together, I'd like to know who's watching my back. You can't play the cold, emotionless mercenary forever.” She crossed her arms over her chest defiantly and looked at him with smug satisfaction. “Besides, you're having fun. You're starting to like traveling with me. And you've had ample opportunity to rob me, kill me, or worse. And you haven't.”

MacCready opened and shut his mouth without saying anything. She was right. The first night in his secret way-station, she could have met any number of fates at his hands. But he had kept watch while she slept. And he was having fun. _She obviously trusts me, but do I trust her? She hasn't tried to kill me, or sell me out to the Gunners. Hasn't tried that weird persuasion thing on me either, that I know of. It's just going to take more time. She seems well-meaning, but it's too soon to tell. I've been screwed over too many times._

Her gaze was bright and honest, and as they approached the solitary light of a railroad switching station, he couldn't help but notice how long her lashes were, and how her eyes had lost the coldness from the first night they had met.

“Everything okay?” She blinked, and he felt himself getting distracted. Traveling with an attractive companion was still new to him. His female compatriots in the Gunners had been... rough. For some reason when he looked closely at Alice, his brain tried to return to its 14-year-old state. He tried to shake it off.

“Yeah. Everything's fine.” He stammered. “You've... you've got dirt on your nose.” Her hand flew to her face, and she rubbed furiously. “No, it's still there. You're just spreading it around now. Just stop.”

She sighed.

“I guess I should just get used to it.”

“Yeah. Don't worry. It looks good on you.”

She laughed, shaking her head.

“Don't think you've gotten out of this conversation.” She jabbed a finger into his chest. “We'll come back to this.”

“Can't wait.”

 

MacCready rolled his eyes as they followed Dogmeat down a long stairwell. At the bottom, a chain hung from the ceiling, several tin cans attached to it. Alice circled it carefully, flattening herself against the wall to squeeze past it. She bit her lip as he approached.

“Is this some kind of alarm?”

“Yeah, probably means there's more around.” He reached up, gently unhooking the chain from its hook and lowering it to the ground with a quiet clanking. “Be careful.”

She took a few steps towards a small campsite, then froze, hands held out to the side.

“MacCready, is that... a landmine?” She pointed towards a small orange light tucked under an old sleeping bag. He came up behind her, peering over her shoulder.

“Yup. Let's give it a wide berth. No need to get any fingers blown off.” He snorted. “Or legs.”

Dogmeat whined at them, trying to direct their attention elsewhere. The dog was nosing a chair set up at the end of the tunnel, several empty bottles were set up next to it in a neat line.

“Gwinnett Stout.” Alice picked up a bottle with the tips of her fingers like it was a dead radroach. “One of Kellogg's creature comforts.” She set it back down with a sigh and ran her fingers through Dogmeat's fur. “What do you think, Boy? Enough to go on?” He licked her hand furiously and trotted off down the road towards the river, and an old bridge.

 

As they approached the bridge, something felt wrong. MacCready readied his rifle, gesturing for Alice to do the same. Dogmeat also sensed the trouble and slunk low to the ground, teeth bared. Rusting cars blocked large portions of the bridge, forcing them to take a set route. MacCready hated not having any options for movement, getting trapped on a solitary path again was one of his worst fears. As he tried not to think about it, he froze and dropped down into a crouch.

“Get behind me. Now.” He hissed, and Alice responded immediately, most likely have heard the same sounds he did. From behind one of the larger trucks, a low moaning sound was accompanied by the scratching sound of nails on pavement. _Ferals. God damn ferals._ The one thing he hated most in the entire wasteland. _No. Not this time._ “Take the safety off your gun.” He glanced back at Alice's face, pale in the moonlight. He unstrapped the bayonet from his thigh and quickly attached it to the front of his rifle. “These fuc- these things move fast. Don't let them get close to you.” She nodded, her jaw set with determination, her grip tight on the shotgun. They rounded the corner of the truck, and the first of the ferals caught sight of them. It groaned, trying to pick itself off the ground. MacCready shot it several times in the head, while Alice picked off one to her left, the shot ripping through rotting flesh and severing head from the body. She squealed, frantically kicking at a ghoul trying to crawl out from under a large van. Her foot connected with its jaw, and it tried to bring its teeth down on her the leather of her boot. Dogmeat sprung up and grabbed the ghoul by the neck, holding it still as she gave it another solid kick. Her boot stuck in the remains of the destroyed head, and she whimpered as she tried to pull it free. MacCready finished off the last two ghouls with a shot and a slash of the bayonet, then stood at the ready, waiting for any more to make an appearance.

 

When it was clear that there were no more ghouls, he turned back to Alice and Dogmeat. The dog was panting happily, his tail thumping on the ground. Alice was not in as good of a mood. Her boots were caked in ghoul residue, and her face had a greenish tint to it.

“What...” She stammered, inching away from the mutilated bodies.

“Ghouls.” MacCready spat the word out, then spat for emphasis.

“But I met some.” Her words came out in a confused rush. “In Goodneighbor. The mayor. And the junk store lady. I talked to them. They weren't...”

“These ghouls have gone feral.” He explained. He tried to steer her away from the carnage, as much for him as it was for her. Even dead, feral ghouls still reminded him of his greatest failure.

“But they still look like people.” She protested.

“They aren't people.” He snapped. “They're monsters. Yeah, they were people once. But trust me, their humanity vanished the moment they changed.”

She looked like there was more on her mind, but she bit her lip and stayed silent. He felt bad, but there was no softer way to say it.

 

On the other side of the bridge was a small town, thankfully unoccupied. Dogmeat ran past it without stopping, MacCready and Alice jogging behind in uncomfortable silence.The quiet loomed over them, not broken until they reached the end of the town.

“Attention, assailant...” A robotic voice intoned. “lower your weapons immediately.” Sparks in the gloom led them to the wreckage of an assaultron, collapsed in a heap. “Tracking known mercenary... exercise extreme caution.”

“Oh my god.” Alice stared at the ground around them. “Do you think this is Kellogg's handiwork?”

“Probably.” MacCready pulled his attention away from the assaultron, and for the first time noticed the destruction, and a chill went down his back. _Gunners._ There were at least five of them thrown about like rag dolls. It seemed wrong. Too much destruction in close quarters for one man to have done. He set about checking them for supplies as Alice investigated the assaultron.

“Error. System corrupt.” The robot's severed head blinked as it spoke each word. “I can't feel my legs.”

Alice knelt down next to the assaultron, peering carefully at the wires that protruded from its head.

“Can it really feel? Is it like a synth?”

“I don't think so. I've only ever seen a few of these, and not up close.”

“What happened here?” She reached over and rested her hand on what could be called the assaultron's face.

“Error. Operator deceased.” There was a burst of static, and then the monotone almost sounded mournful. “He killed us.” The lights dimmed as the unit lost power. MacCready frowned as he continued to look around, and Alice cracked her knuckles nervously as she stood.

“If Kellogg did all of this by himself, how am I supposed to deal with him?” She gripped the strap of her gun, running her thumb up and down the leather.

“No, something's not right. These are Gunners, not raiders.” MacCready stared down at the face of the closest body. _Nobody I knew._ “He shouldn't have been able to take out the whole squad without at least getting wounded. But there's no trail of blood or anything. I don't think he's alone.”

“Is that supposed to make me feel better??” She looked panicked.

“That means we can try and whittle down their numbers. Take away some of his firepower.” He beckoned her over. “Here, I have some more supplies for your pack.” Dogmeat whined at them, anxious to move on. “All right, all right! We're coming.” He closed the straps on the bag and gave it a pat. “There. Good to go. We're getting close to him, this is a pretty recent mess.”

 

With a happy bark, Dogmeat lead them up the road and over a small hill into a heavily wooded area. They slowed down, picking their way carefully over tree roots and fallen logs in the dark. Once they were clear of the trees, they approached a chain link fence, bent and missing large sections. Alice squinted at a rusted sign.

“Government property?” She smacked the fence, jingling the links. “We're at the base. He's hiding out in the damn base.” She clambered up the small embankment on the other side of the fence. “Son of a bitch.” She put her hand on her hips and sighed heavily.

Before MacCready could say anything, she and Dogmeat were off, jogging down the other side of the hill towards the ruined buildings before them. _Dammit._ He rushed to catch up, glaring as they ran.

“Are you nuts?” He panted. “He'll see us coming a mile away!”  
She ignored him and doubled her speed, keeping even pace with the dog. She took long strides towards the main building as if she could run all day. _Maybe she used to be able to, but she's forgotten about armor and time on ice..._ Right on cue, she began to slow, breathing heavily. But she didn't stop, not until she and Dogmeat reached the boarded up front doors. She slammed her hand against the plywood and sank to the ground. Her face was red, either from the physical exertion, or anger, or both. MacCready kept his distance as he slowly moved towards her, letting her have space to calm down. The building still had some power, one dim orange light illuminated the alcove they were in. Alice looked up at him as he approached, and groaned.

“That was dumb, wasn't it.”

“Incredibly.”

 

He walked over and knelt next to her. Her face was still red, and she was rubbing the palm of her right hand. She slid the knapsack and her shotgun off her back and let them rest on the ground.

“Ow.” She said, looking embarrassed. “I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me.”

“No, I get it. There's a lot going on in there right now.” He gestured at her head. “Just don't take off like that again. I can't keep you safe if you do that.” She nodded slowly.

“Protecting your investment.” She sighed, staring at her hands. He felt like a terrible person, after everything she had told him about herself, he stayed walled off. But it was for his own protection. He shifted his weight, pulling the small gloves out of him back pocket.

“Here.” He tossed them onto her lap. “You've got some blisters forming. These will help.”

She slid them on, stretching her fingers against the fit. The leather flexed gently, the gloves' previous owner had apparently taken good care of them.

“Thank you.” Alice nodded appreciatively, then froze. “Did... did these come off a dead person?”

“Well, they weren't-”

“They weren't using them anymore. Right.” She interrupted.

“We should find another way in. Let's get this over with.” He stood up, then offer his hand to help Alice up. She gripped his arm tightly, stumbling as she rose to her feet, and slammed into his chest. Before she pulled away, she looked up at him, peering through her long lashes.

“You know as well as I do that we're both probably going to die in there,” Alice said quietly. “That man is a trained killer.”

“Look, getting us killed is the farthest thing from my mind.” He was still holding her arm tightly. “Kellogg's just a man. He's killed a lot of people, but so have I.” He squeezed her arm. “So have you.”

“Right.” She sounded unconvinced. She let go of him and stepped back, picking up her gun and slipping the knapsack back on. MacCready grabbed his own rifle, securing it across his back.

“Don't worry. Everything's going to be alright, as long as we stick together.” He stuck his head out of the alcove and checked the street, just to make sure Dogmeat's patrols hadn't missed anything. Satisfied the coast was clear, he leaned back and gave Alice a reassuring smile.

She smiled back, and he felt his chest tighten, just a little.

 


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

 

In the gloom of the night, the low and constant whirring of several automatic gun turrets was the only sound that stirred the air around the fort. MacCready and Alice stayed close to the wall, trying to keep out of sight. Dogmeat drew no attention as he trotted down the street, stray dogs were most likely a common enough occurrence as to not be a threat to the turret's targeting patterns. The path along the wall led into the fort's garage, and down a long flight of stairs.

In a small room at the bottom of the stairs, the remains of a scavenger's camp lay strewn across the floor, the unlucky scavenger herself crumpled in a small chair. Before he could say anything, Alice was already walking forward, trying to not look at the body.

“I know, I know, look for anything useful.” She began picking through a large sack, laying the contents out on a dirty mattress.

“Actually, I was going to say I felt sorry for her.” MacCready stepped over, and checked the medical crate next to the bloody chair. “This seems like it was a solid setup. Too bad she wasn't counting on Kellogg. He's pretty smart, doing everything he can to keep people off his trail. Glad we're finally closing in on him.” He frowned as he glanced at the scavenger. She had a bullet hole to the forehead, looked like a fairly large caliber. But the wounds on her chest and arms seemed to be burns, the kind left by energy weapons. A shiver went down his back. Gunners were the only group in the Commonwealth with a steady supply of laser rifles, but the dead Gunners back on the road made it clear they weren't allies of Kellogg's. There were rumors of what other group would use energy weapons, and it MacCready was not excited about dealing with them. “Sh-” He caught himself at the last second. “-oot.” He finished, shaking his head. He had hoped Kellogg had hired mercenaries, but that didn't seem to be the case. _I really don't want to deal with synths._

 

He turned back to see Alice and Dogmeat staring at him expectantly.

“Look, it's going to be close quarters in there, and I'm not sure how well Dogmeat will do.” He scratched the dog behind the ears to silence the sad whine. “We're going to want to take out our targets from as much distance as we can get, and we don't want to risk him getting hit.”

Alice frowned but knelt and buried her face in the thick fur.

“Be a good boy and wait here for me, okay? Hide if anyone comes.” She stood, pausing for a moment. “If we don't come back by tonight, get back to Sanctuary, okay? Get back to Preston and the others.”

 _Others? What others?_ MacCready thought about asking but decided it could wait. She stood up, gave the dog one last rub on the head, and they made their way through a metal door into the fort.

 

The door took them to the bottom of a stairwell, where pre-war debris and rubble made the path slightly treacherous. The building had taken a lot of damage during the war but hadn't been picked clean like most places in the Commonwealth.

“Keep your guard up.” He hissed. “Kellogg could have guards anywhere.”

When they reached a landing, Alice crept forward to a somehow still active terminal.

“Watch my back, okay?” She whispered as she activated the ancient machine. As he kept an eye out for any movement, he couldn't help but watch out of the corner of her eye as she typed furiously. Pre-war technology had always baffled him, but apparently gave Alice little trouble. After a few moments, a triumphant grin spread across her face and she stepped away. With a hiss, a containment pod opened, and a protectron lumbered out. It stomped past them, making it's way into the destroyed offices.

“Movement detected?” A robotic voice called out. “Curious.” MacCready felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise. He grabbed Alice by the arm and pulled her down. “Listen, we've got synths in there to deal with-”

“Like Nick?” She interrupted.

“Sorta.” He sighed. “I don't think these are that advanced. I've never really dealt with them myself, but some of the other Gunner's had. Aim for the head, or the legs. Don't go for the chest. It won't do sh... It won't do anything.”

“Right.” She pulled the pistol out and checked the ammo. “Head, legs.”

“Hopefully, that protectron will draw them off for a while.” He gave a brief smile. “By the way, nice job with that.”

“Thanks.” She returned the smile for a moment, then turned her attention back to the clanking of the robot. Its wandering path had brought it to a fight, the sound of squealing metal and gunfire making its way down the hallway. “Let's go that way.” She pointed to the opposite direction, then picked her way carefully over the debris in the trashed office, and froze. Carefully, she raised her gun and crept forward. MacCready followed, his rifle already braced against his shoulder, ready to aim and fire. A solitary synth stood in the next room, barely more than a white skeleton. Its back was to them, so Alice took her shot, hitting the base of the neck. The synth collapsed, crumpling into a heap of plastic.

“Oh shit.” She muttered, backing up quickly and taking cover behind an overturned desk. Three synths, alerted to the sound of the gunshot, came rushing into the room. Before they could fire, MacCready hit the first one, severing the head from the body with a clean shot. Alice took the other two, biting her lip as she fired.

 

When the dust cleared, she walked over to the pile of synths and gave the closest one a nudge with her foot.

“Anything worth taking on them?” She asked quietly.

“Do you want a laser pistol?” He bent over to pick one up.

“Hell yes.” She plucked it out of his hands and stared at it with a look of slight disappointment. “It's so... boxy.”

“Did you expect a laser pistol to look different?”

“Well, yeah. I thought it would be more round and spacey looking.” She shrugged, and twisted, trying to shove it in her bag. “Like in the comics.”

MacCready couldn't help but laugh quietly as he took the pistol back from her, and slid it into the knapsack. Every time she talked about herself, he liked her more and more. The other kids in Little Lamplight had shared his affinity for comics, but he was the only one who retained the interest into adulthood.

 

Their winding path through the building led them to an office lined with banks of long dead computer terminals. They moved slowly, until an explosion from behind them signaled the end of the protectron.

“We gotta move.” MacCready hissed, craning his neck to check for incoming synths.

“Elevator.” Alice motioned towards a flickering light on the wall. “That has to be the right way.” She crept up and hit the button. “Come on, come on...”

“Asset Kellogg in danger. Defending.” The synth's voice was garbled as if it had taken damage to the voice box. It was still a few rooms away, but moving closer.

After what seemed like ages, the elevator doors slid open. They rushed in, and Alice jammed the button with her thumb.

“Closeclosecloseclose...”

MacCready took aim and fired as the door closed, hitting the synth right between the eyes. It squealed as it collapsed, and Alice leaned against the wall and began reloading her pistol.

“You okay?” He asked, wiping the sweat off the back of his neck. She nodded, sliding her pistol into its holster.

“Mm-hmm. At least we know Kellogg's actually here.”

“Yeah, but we need to be careful. Make sure he isn't setting up for an ambush.” He checked his own ammo level. “When we get down there, I want you to stay in front of me, but watch your step. Who knows what kind of traps he's set up for us.”

She nodded, closing her eyes as they waited for the elevator to rumble to a stop. As the doors opened, she ran her fingers through her bangs and breathed out heavily.

“Let's go.”

 

They were in a long hallway lined with vents and pipes, dimly lit by several red emergency lights. MacCready didn't like it. There was barely any cover, and he could see movement at the end of the hall.

“Stay low.” He hissed. “Let's get as close as we can before they spot us.” She nodded and crept forward for several feet before stopping and pointing down to where a thin red line of light shone across their path. She pointed at it, looking back at him with confusion.

“Tripwire.” He mouthed. “Don't touch it.” She blinked at him, then stared at the small box the laser was coming from. Gently she reached for it, ignoring MacCready's panicked gesturing. She fiddled with it for a few moments, then the box clicked, and the light went out. She turned back and looked up at him with smug satisfaction and a thumbs up. He nodded begrudgingly, and motioned to move on. Two synths stood at the end of the hallway, one armed with a rifle and the other with what looked like a metal club. _I should let her know I'm aiming for the one with the gun._ But before he could do anything, Alice tugged his sleeve, pointed at herself, then pointed at the synth with the club. She blinked at him expectantly, and he nodded. _Glad to know we're on the same page. Seems like we make a good team._ He concentrated on his target, taking it out in a single shot. The second synth got several feet towards them before Alice took it out at the knees. Even in its damaged state, it still crawled towards them, trying to swing the club pathetically. With a determined expression, Alice kicked the head, sending it flying down the hallway.

“Didn't want to waste any more ammo.” She explained with a shrug. “Plus, that felt really good.”

“How's your foot feel?” MacCready asked with a laugh. “That's the second time you've given something a good kick.”

“Pretty good.” She tapped her foot against the wall. “Steel-toed boots. Got them out of my neighbor's emergency bunker.” She leaned forward to stick her head around the corner, then waved him forward.

 

The next hallway led to a small storage room lined with dusty shelves, large metal crates had been turned over, papers and other office supplies spilled all over the floor. A set of stairs leading down was tucked away in the corner, the only available option for moving forward. MacCready leaned over the railing, checking for any synths below. Once he was confident the coast was clear, they went down the stairs into the next hallway.

As they rounded the corner at the bottom of the stairs, a closed security door blocked their path. Alice reached out for the handle but froze as a speaker on the wall crackled to life.

“If it isn't my old friend, the frozen TV dinner.” The voice was low and gravelly, with a hint of amusement. All the color drained from Alice's face, and her eyes went cold. “Last time we met, you were cozying up to the peas and apple cobbler.”

As suddenly as the voice had appeared, it was gone, the hiss of the speaker shutting off and leaving them in silence.

“Was that him?” MacCready asked quietly. “Was that Kellogg?” She nodded rapidly and moved to open the door. He looked down and stepped in front of her. “Wait! Don't open that!” With a shake of his head, he pointed down to a small metal box with a flap attached to the door. “Traps.”

Alice knelt down and fiddled with the box, releasing the flap. When she stood, she opened the door tentatively, waiting for any kind of explosion. When nothing blew up, they headed down the hallway to another set of stairs.

 

At the bottom of the stairs, a mechanical whirring noise told MacCready a turret blocked their path. _Damn damn damn._ He held his hand out to Alice, making sure she didn't walk into its line of sight.

“Okay, I'm going to need your help on this.” He readied his rifle. “There's a turret right around the corner. We need to lean around the corner and take it out before it can target us. So aim well, and fire until it blows up, okay?” She nodded, her face still pale. MacCready knelt down at the corner and motioned for her to follow. “Stay behind me, but not too close so my recoil doesn't throw you off. We're gonna do this on three.” She nodded again.He held up his fingers and counted down from three. They leaned out, and the turret exploded in a small fireball before it could turn towards them. As he stood up, another speaker crackled to life.

“Sorry your house has been a wreck for two hundred years.” Alice narrowed her eyes at Kellogg's casual tone. “But I don't need a roommate. Leave.”

MacCready looked down at her, trying to not look concerned.

“Yes, he knows we're here. But he wants us to leave. It sounds like he's worried.” He lied. Alice saw right through it and shook her head.

“He's mocking me.” She spat. “He doesn't think I'm a threat.”

“Then we are going to prove him wrong.”

They moved through the doors before them and jogged down a long hallway. Several small rooms were off to either side, but Alice ignored them to push forward.

“I feel like a rat in a maze down here.” He peered into one of the rooms they were passing, noting the pre-war goods lying around. He knew several traders who would pay top dollar for them. “After he's dead, we're coming back to steal all of Kellogg's stuff, right?”

She snorted and actually started to smile. As if on cue to ruin the moment, another speaker turned on.

“Hmph. Never expected you to come knocking on my door.” Kellogg sounded slightly impressed. “Gave you 50/50 odds of making it to Diamond City. After that? Figured the Commonwealth would chew you up like jerky.” He watched her face carefully as they continued down the hallway. The color was returning, but the softness in her eyes wasn't. MacCready tried to think of something comforting to say, but he couldn't come up with anything that didn't sound patronizing and stupid. He chose to remain silent, letting her work through her anger.

 

The hallway led them to a set of stairs which led to a large room mostly sectioned off by a wall made of metal grates. There were several security doors along the wall, but they were all shut tight, no visible locks anywhere to pick. The room beyond the wall was pitch black, but as they walked down the open section, Alice suddenly turned and stared into the darkness, one hand gripping the metal grate. MacCready came up behind her, looking down with curiosity. Before he could say anything, she reached back and grabbed the edge of his jacket to stop him.

“There's someone in there.” She leaned forward again, waiting. In the distance, there was a faint shuffling, as if someone was shifting positions somewhere in the gloom. Alice slammed her fist against the metal, and yelled, her voice cracking.

“I can hear you in there!” She slammed her fist again. “You can't hide forever!” She stepped backward and took off down the next hallway, dragging MacCready in her wake. As they moved away, he heard what sounded like a low chuckle coming from behind them. A speaker in front of them hissed, and this time, Kellogg sounded more amused than anything.

“Look. You're pissed off. I get it. I do. But whatever you hope to accomplish in here? It is not going to go your way.”

 

She skidded to a halt, still holding on to MacCready's jacket. She spun around, but stared down at her feet, as if she was refusing to make eye contact.

“You should leave.” She said quietly.

“What?”

“You heard what he said. This isn't going to go well.” She sighed, absently rubbing her thumb against the worn cloth of his jacket. “There's no reason for you to get killed on my behalf. Just take your caps and get out.”

Without really thinking about it, he swung his arm around her shoulders, pulling her in tightly like he had in the mayor's office. It was funny, but after such a short time, he already felt an attachment to her. Her survival was his responsibility, his debt to repay after failing to protect Lucy.

“Like I told you outside... As long as we stick together, we're going to be fine.” He gave her a slight squeeze. “You hired me to protect you, and to help you. That's what I'm going to do.” He released her and stepped back. “Now let us go do what we came here to do.” She reluctantly let go of his jacket and turned to look down the next hallway. _This place is nothing but hallways. How did people find their way around this place without getting lost?_

 

There were no announcements from Kellogg as they crept down towards yet another stairwell, but there were synths. Four of them barreled towards them, firing wildly. Quickly, Alice holstered her pistol and swung the shotgun off her back. Her first shot took out the front two, and MacCready took out another. But before he could get the last one, its erratic firing nicked Alice's left shoulder. She dropped to her knees, swearing loudly. MacCready swung out, connecting the butt of his rifle with the head of the synth. The plastic dented from the impact, and a second hit severed the head from the body. As the synth collapsed in a heap, he knelt to check on Alice. She was still swearing, a chain of words that would have impressed his younger self. And his older self as well.

“You okay?”

“Oh my god that stings!” She stuck a finger in the charred hole in her shirt and sighed. “Does getting shot always feel like that?”

He stifled a laugh.

“No, that was a laser shot. A bullet hurts a heck of a lot more.” He checked the burn, the shot had barely grazed her and didn't require a stimpak to heal. He stood back up and offered her a hand. As she pulled herself up, he thought for a moment. “Wait. Have you actually made it this far without getting shot?”

“I've been careful!” She looked confused. “Is that some kind of an accomplishment? I thought one of the goals of life was to not get shot.”

MacCready thought about all of the small scars scattered across his body. Stimpaks repaired the wounds quickly, but gunshots always left a mark. That didn't even take into consideration his injuries that had healed on their own. He didn't have the heart to tell her that getting shot was a fact of life in the wasteland. He sighed as they started down the stairs.

“Yeah. Not getting shot is good.”

 

The ninety seconds it took them to head down the stairs and down a hallway were blissfully uneventful, but Kellogg and his speakers had plans to ruin everything.

“You've got guts and determination, and that's admirable.” He sighed, his breath causing a burst of static in the speaker. “But you are in over your head in ways you can't possibly comprehend.”

Alice picked up her speed, Kellogg's voice driving her forward. MacCready had to jog to keep up with her, attaching the bayonet to the end of his rifle. If things were going to continue to be close quarters, he was probably going to need it. Another door stood before them, and Alice set to work getting it open.

“It's not too late.” Kellogg had dropped all traces of amusement and just sounded tired and frustrated. “Stop. Turn around and leave. You have that option.” He paused as if he was thinking. “Not a lot of people can say that.”

 

Alice looked back at MacCready, who raised his eyebrows and shook his head.

“We're doing this.”

She nodded, and the door swung open. The rooms before them were well lit, and decorated like pre-war houses. In the largest room, there was a large bed against one wall, and several large bureaus lined the walls. As they walked further into the room, Alice absently ran her fingers over a small desk, looking around with wide eyes. She spun a globe on the desk, letting her nails scratch its surface. With her other hand, she pointed towards a security door. “We need to find a way to get through that.” She glared at a large speaker on the wall.

Kellogg was obviously listening to them, because the locks on the door clicked open, and the speaker hissed.

“Okay, you made it. I'm just up ahead. My synths are standing down.” Kellogg sighed again. “Let's talk.”

 

MacCready grabbed Alice by her right arm and held her back for a moment.

“Make sure everything you have is fully loaded, and your safeties are off.” He leaned forward, his face inches from her's. “This is the end of the road for him.” She nodded and stepped back to slide the knapsack off her right shoulder. MacCready helped lift it over her left shoulder, and they fished in its depths for the ammo boxes. Her fingers shook as she tried to load her shotgun, either with nerves, anticipation, or both. “ We're going to get your son. Get justice for your husband.” He patted her hand gently. “This will all be over soon.” With a shudder, she finished loading the shotgun, and looked down at the bag.

“We should leave this here. Don't want it getting in the way.” She set it next to the bed and looked up at him nervously. “Let's go.”

 

They slipped through the door and stepped up a small flight of stairs. Three figures stood in the gloom, two synths and a man between them. He held his hand up in a sign of peace as the lights flickered on, revealing what had once been the base's command center. Kellogg was a large man, broad chested and scarred. He cocked his head to the side as he watched them enter the room.

“And there she is, the most resilient woman in the Commonwealth.” His voice sounded slightly less scratchy than it had over the speakers but still low and rough. Alice stormed towards him, her fists clenched tightly. MacCready followed closely, trying to keep an eye on her and the synths at the same time. “So here we are. Funny, huh?” Kellogg raised an eyebrow as he stared down at Alice. He towered over her and studied her carefully. He reached a hand out as if he was going to touch her arm. She flinched away and glared furiously at the man who had killed her husband.

“Enough. Just... Where is my baby?” She hissed, and Kellogg shook his head.

“Lady, I'm a puppet just like you. My stage is a little bigger, that's all.” He laughed to himself. “Shaun's a good kid. So maybe he's not quite a baby anymore. But he's doing great.” Her eyes widened in surprise. “Only... he's not here. He's with the people pulling the strings.” A look of pity flashed across Kellogg's face for a split second, vanishing as Alice tried to shove him with her right hand.

“Goddamn it, you mercenary motherfucker! Where. Is. My. Son?!” Kellogg didn't budge as she slammed her palm against his chest. Instead, he snatched her wrist, gripping it tightly. MacCready felt anger wash over him and had to fight the urge to bring his bayonet down on Kellogg's arm.

“What's the cliché? 'So close, yet so far away?'” Kellogg continued to hold her wrist, not moving an inch as she struggled against him. “That's Shaun.” The sympathetic expression came back to his face. “But don't worry. You'll die knowing he's safe and happy. A bit older than you expected, but oh well.” He pulled her closer, and MacCready twitched again. “At least he's in a loving home, the Institute.”

Alice tried again in vain to pull her hand away. She glared furiously.

“Here, the Institute... I'll find my son no matter where he is.”

Kellogg laughed, and MacCready took a step forward, trying to look intimidating, but Kellogg ignored him.

“Ha! That's the spirit. You know, you surprise me, I have to admit.” He released her wrist and shoved her backward, sending her stumbling into MacCready. “I find myself actually kind of... liking you. You might've actually been a good mother. And I admire your dedication.” He shook his head with a heavy sigh. “Even if it is ultimately useless.”

MacCready tightened his grip on his rifle and saw Alice do the same. Every nerve in his body hummed, he hated close quarter fighting. He knew Alice was going to go for Kellogg straight off the bat, so he tried to figure out which of the synths were the biggest threat. Killing Kellogg would mean nothing if the synths killed them immediately after. Kellogg laughed again, and held his arms out to the sides, almost like an invitation.

“But I think we've been talking long enough. We both know how this has to end.” He ran a finger over the top of a large caliber pistol. “So... you ready?”

Alice flicked her bangs out of her face, her eyes burning with anger.

“In a hundred years... when I finally die... I only hope I go to hell so I can kill you all over again, you piece of shit.” She fired her shotgun point-blank into his chest, the buckshot tearing through leather and skin. Kellogg laughed and shot back three times with his pistol. Alice screamed, and MacCready's vision went red. He wanted desperately to help her, but he had to take out the synths. He shot twice at the one furthest away, then moved quickly to jam the bayonet into the face of the second. He felt the burning sting of laser fire across his back and wrestled to release his gun from the tangle of twitching plastic. He couldn't see Alice but heard her shotgun go off twice more. Once his rifle was free, he fired one last shot at the first synth, destroying whatever vital internal components powered it. He spun back around to help Alice and didn't see her. His breath caught in his throat. _No no no no no no.., I screwed up I screwed up where is she?_ He ran over to where Kellogg had been standing and sighed with relief.

 

Kellogg's body lay on the floor, Alice straddling his chest. Her leather gloves were caked in blood, bone, and... something else... as she repeatedly punched what was left of his face. Unintelligible words poured out of her mouth, and tears streamed down her face. MacCready wasn't sure if he should be impressed or terrified by her fury. He gently grabbed her by the shoulders and pulled her away, the burns on his back pulling and making him bite his lip to keep from yelling.

“It's over. He's dead.” She stumbled forward, practically doubled over at the waist. He practically carried her back towards the room with the large bed, and one of the old towels across the mattress before helping her sit down. “We need to get you cleaned up.” He grabbed the knapsack and snatched a stimpak out, lifted the side of his shirt, and jammed the stimpak in his side. He breathed a sigh of relief, as he almost immediately felt the pain in his back subside, then turned back to Alice.

She was breathing in short gasps, shaking with shock as she stared at the blood on her hands. As she slumped backward on the bed, pool of blood began to form under her, and MacCready grabbed another stimpak out of the pack.

“Just breathe. It's going to be okay. Everything is going to be okay.” He carefully unbuttoned the bottom of her shirt, pulling the fabric away from her skin, the sticky blood making it difficult. He grabbed another old towel to wipe away as much of it as he could. The gunshot wound was just below the ribs on her right side, and about the size of a bottlecap. There were two more large dents in her chest armor, Kellogg had fired right at her heart from point blank range. MacCready gently rolled her towards her side, checking to make sure the shot had gone all the way through. He wasn't in a mood to try and dig a bullet out. Satisfied that the bullet was long gone, he stabbed the stimpak in as close to the entry wound as possible. He grabbed her arm and wiped the blood off the screen of her pip-boy. The little icon that represented her health slowly stopped flashing, and a bar along the bottom began to fill up. Satisfied that the stimpak was doing its work, he continued wiping the blood off of her.

 

As he kept cleaning, he couldn't help but notice the pattern of stripes across her belly, the telltale sign of motherhood. Immediately his mind went to Lucy, how much she hated those marks, and how much he had loved them. They were the proof she had brought his son into the world. At night he had laid next to her, running his fingers across them until he fell asleep. He felt his grief and shame about her building up, and quickly covered up Alice's exposed skin. Turning his attention to her hands, he gently pulled the leather gloves off, examining her knuckles. They were seriously bruised, but nothing appeared broken. He used the towel to finish wiping the blood off her hands, then wadded it up and threw it in a corner.

Alice gingerly felt her side with probing fingers. When she reached the site of the wound, where instead of a gaping hole there was scar tissue building, she gasped and sat up quickly.

“How?”

“Don't...” MacCready reached out and steadied her. “You've lost some blood, you might be a bit dizzy. You're okay, I used a stimpak, it just takes a while to fully do its thing.”

“You were right.” She stared at the ceiling. “That definitely hurt like a bitch.” She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. “But Kellogg's dead, and we aren't any closer to finding Shaun.” Tears welled up again. “What did he mean he's older than I thought? How long was I refrozen?” She covered her face with her hands. “How long has Nate been dead?”

 

MacCready sat on the edge of the bed, awkwardly staring at his hands. This was well beyond his area of expertise.

“I don't know.” He mumbled. “But we're going to find out.” He patted her gently on the arm. “But you need to push that aside right now. Focus on right now. You need to get somewhere safe, and gather your strength.”

“What do you mean?”

MacCready leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees.

“You've been on the move for days. You need proper rest.” He gestured at her blood soaked shirt. “You got justice for your husband and smashed in the face of his murderer with your fists. Also, you just got shot for the first time. That takes a lot out of you. We need to get somewhere we can sleep, eat, and make a plan. This place isn't it.” He glanced around the room. “It won't be long before the Institute comes to clean this mess up.”

“Right.” She braced her elbows against the bed and pushed herself to a sitting position. The crying had stopped, but her breath still shuddered every few moments. She slid her legs around him to drop them to the floor. “Let's go.”

 

Back in the command room, Alice walked straight towards Kellogg's body. Without a word, she started rummaging through his pockets, and unlatching the armor on his shoulder. Long strands of hair had come out of her tight bun and dangled in her face. As she tried to tuck them behind her ear, she left streaks of blood mixed in with the blonde. As she fussed with the body, MacCready started filling his pockets with anything of value he could find around the room. After a few moments, she called over to him, kneeling by the body with a frustrated look on her face.

“Hey, give me a hand and help me roll him over?”

“No problem. What for?” He slid his fingers under the man's side and lifted. Kellogg was heavier than expected, heavier than he should have been.

“I want this jacket,” Alice grumbled. “And I'm not leaving him anything of value.” As she peeled the jacket off, she paused, running her fingers along the back of his neck. “MacCready?” She called. “What is that?”

MacCready peered over her shoulder and shook his head. Sticking out of the wreckage of Kellogg's head was a small sliver of metal. It was still attached to part of the brain, but several wires were sticking out.

“I have no idea. Probably some crazy Institute technology.”

“Then it's important.” She wrinkled her nose and pulled the knife out of her boot. “Grab me something to put this in?” She stuck the knife in, and carefully started cutting. MacCready looked around, and after a few minutes of searching found an empty IV bag. He handed it over to Alice, who cut the top off, carefully placed the tech inside. There was still a lot of brains attached, so he tried not to look at it as she gently folded the bag up.

“That's really gross.” He made a face as she stuffed the bag into the bottom of the knapsack. She shrugged.

“It's completely disgusting. But if it's important, I don't want them to have it.”

 

Once she had secured the tech, she turned her attention to pulling the thick leather jacket off Kellogg's limp form. She folded it as small as possible and shoved the jacket and shoulder armor into the knapsack. The bag bulged, its straps straining to close.

“We're going to need to drop some stuff off,” MacCready said, looking around the control room. “You mentioned sending Dogmeat back to someone. You have a settlement you're staying at?”

Alice nodded as she wandered over to a small terminal.

“To the North. Sanctuary.” She pulled a scrap of paper out of her pocket and started typing. “It's where I lived before. I met up with some people in Concord, and they were heading there to set up a place to settle.” She leaned forward, her nose practically touching the faded screen. “Hang on.”

Her eyes flicked back and forth as she read, scowling. “He did take Shaun to the institute. And he was getting ready to leave here to go track someone else down.”

“Guess we did that guy a favor, huh?”

“Yeah, whoever it is owes us one.”

She tapped a few more keys, and all of the doors along the side of the room sprung open.

“Looks like you were right. He was in here the whole time.” MacCready tapped her on the arm and pointed towards the open doors. “Now let's get going before more synths show up.”

 

Outside the control room, another previously locked door guided them to a working elevator. Once they stepped inside, Alice leaned against the wall, staring at her hands.

“I can't wait to go somewhere and get clean.” She sighed. “There's blood in my hair, under my fingernails... I can't believe I just...” She shuddered.

“It's going to be okay.” MacCready had lost track of how many times he had said that in the last few hours. But it seemed to be what she needed to hear. “Let's just get out of here. We'll regroup at Sanctuary and figure out what to do next.”

“You're still coming with me?” She looked at him with surprise.

“Hey, 250 caps buys you a lot of protection, okay? I gotta get you home safely.” He folded his arms across his chest and tried to look nonchalant. “Besides having to kill the guy who murdered your husband, the last few days have been... almost fun. Traveling with you certainly isn't boring.”

“Almost fun?” She raised her eyebrows at him and sighed as the elevator rumbled to a stop. “Thanks, I think.”

The elevator let them out in a narrow room, with only a terminal and security door at the far end. Alice set to work on the terminal while MacCready tried to figure out where they were. A low rumbling sound and a mechanical whirring wasn't a good sign.

“I think we're on the roof.” He called out. “We need to be careful, I think I hear a lot of turrets out there.”

“Hang on two seconds...” She hit a couple of keys and looked at him over her shoulder. “They should be off now!”

“Are you sure? I still hear something out there.”

She turned back and hit a few more keys.

“Pretty sure...” The door slowly swung open, and they both blinked in the early morning light. As they stepped out onto the roof of the fort, the rumbling noise MacCready had heard got louder. He looked up and stared in shock.

 

A gigantic airship cruised overhead, flanked by a swarm of vertibirds. Floodlights shone down, illuminating the waking Commonwealth, and if he squinted, MacCready could see figures in power armor stalking the desk. _Oh no._

“Son of a...”

“What the hell is that?” Alice asked, gripping the strap of her shotgun.

“It's the goddamn Brotherhood of Steel.” He shook his head. “What the hell are they doing here?”

“People of the Commonwealth!” A voice boomed out from the ship. “Do not interfere. Our intentions are peaceful.”

“Could've fooled me.” Alice shaded her eyes from the rising sun and stared at a passing vertibird. Someone stood in the back, aiming a large mounted gun at the passing landscape. “That looks super peaceful.”

“We are... the Brotherhood of Steel!” The voice announced with gusto.

As the fleet passed them, getting smaller as it made its way towards downtown Boston, MacCready whistled under his breath.

“Did you see the size of that airship? Now that's how you make an entrance.”

“It's terrifying.”

He shrugged.

“I'll say. That thing must be packed with troops and enough firepower to level Diamond City if it wanted.” He looked around for a way off the roof, noting some old construction scaffolding at the far end of the roof. “With the Brotherhood here, you can be sure that the Commonwealth will turn into a war zone. It's never going to be the same, that's for sure.”

“Wonderful,” Alice grumbled and followed him towards the scaffolding. “Let's get Dogmeat and go home.”

 _Home. That sounds nice._ He glanced back towards the airship. _Too bad things are about to go to hell._

 

 

 


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh gosh. So sorry it took so long to update. I just... lost my train of thought completely. But I think I have it back. Here's hoping!

Chapter 7

 

The journey north toward Sanctuary was slow going. Alice had lost a lot of blood and seemed to still be in shock over her first gunshot wound. Every few minutes, her fingers slid under the hem of her shirt, feeling the newly healed skin, and the blood on her shirt had dried a dark red against the pale blue of the fabric. MacCready tried not to think about the huge gaping wound that had very recently been there, and how terrified she had looked.

It had been over an hour since she had last spoke. Dogmeat was scouting ahead, finding a path that avoided any potential threats. They had left the fort in such a hurry, that MacCready hadn't had time to take a proper inventory of their ammo, and had no idea how much was left. As they walked, his eyes were continuously drawn to the bloodstain, and it shone out to him like a beacon of his near failure.

“I hope you have another shirt.” He said quietly. “I don't want to have to stare at that stain every day.”

She turned back at him and blinked rapidly, his comment obviously derailing a train of thought.

“What? Oh...” She bit her lip and looked down at the front of her shirt. “I'll take care of it when we get home.” She blinked rapidly and rubbed the bridge of her nose.

“You doing alright? What happened back at the fort... that was a lot to take in, even for me.”

She sighed and flicked her bangs out of her face. She slowed her walking pace to let him catch up and shrugged as he came up next to her.

“I think I'm okay. I'm just... confused. ” She rubbed her face with her hands and then smoothed out her hair. “He said Shaun is older than I thought. That he's a 'good kid'.” She stared toward the horizon. “How much time passed between Nate's murder, and my unfreezing?”

“At least a few years. But at least you know he's with the Institute.”

“Is that supposed to be a good thing?”

MacCready scratched his head under the brim of his hat and shrugged.

“Well, he's safe from raiders and super mutants... And it sounds like the Institute is pretty invested in keeping him alive.”

“I... I didn't think of that.”

“We still gotta figure out a way to get him back, though, but at least he's not in any immediate danger.”

“Maybe you're right.” She shivered. “It's just weird to think that he's gotten older, and I'm the same age I was when he was born.”

“Plus 200 or so years.”

“I guess. Do we really count that?” She stared down at her pipboy for a moment, then changed course slightly. The conversation died off as they made their way down a steep embankment, Dogmeat bounding happily from rock to rock. “I mean... chronologically I'm 240, but physically I'm still 30.” She shook her head. “Ugh, that's just weird.”

“Well, look on the bright side.” MacCready shrugged. “You're the youngest looking 30 year old I know, and definitely the youngest looking 240 year old I know.”

“What?” She blinked with confusion.

“This place.” He waved his hand towards the horizon. “The way we have to live. The radiation, the wind, everything. It just ages people. When I was a kid, we found old magazines from before the war, and everyone looked so... young.” He shrugged. “Probably all the non-irradiated food.”

“You're just trying to make me feel better. You've got to be... what... 28, 29?”

MacCready shook his head.

“Far as I know, 22, maybe 23.”

Alice stopped in her tracks and grabbed him by the arm. With more force than he would have expected, she turned him towards her. He shifted his weight awkwardly as she studied his face. He bit his lip and stared back, noticing how she hadn't regained much of her color back. _We're probably going to need to hurry up and get to Sanctuary._ After a long minute, she muttered something under her breath and started walking again.

“What was that?”

She sighed and repeated herself.

“You're just a kid.”

He jogged to catch up with her.

“I haven't been a kid in a long time... if I ever really was one.”

 

Silence fell again as they continued North. Dogmeat helped them avoid a large raider camp and a roaming pack of super mutants. Once they were clear of immediate threats, MacCready cleared his throat.

“So, what's next, Boss?”

She looked up at him with an amused expression.

“So you have decided to stick around? I figured storming a fort and taking out a known killer would have used up my 250 caps of service.”

“Yeah..” He squinted back at her. “But it seems like you're going to get yourself into quite a lot of trouble. You probably need me watching your back.”

“Seems like you need the same thing from me.” She grinned. “That's why I hired you, and not some other mercenary.”

MacCready stumbled, his confusion distracting him from solid footing.

“What?”

“From what I've seen of this place, you have to figure out quickly who you can trust, and who you can't.” She looked smug. “I had you pegged before I hired you.”

“Pegged as what?”

“Desperate. There's something pushing you forward. You knew I needed help, and helping me would get you closer to your goal. 250 caps is a low rate for the services you were offering. I know. I asked around. You needed me to get you out of Goodneighbor.” She tapped a finger against her nose twice.

“You want everyone to think you're hard. That you're tough, and scary, that you don't care about anyone but yourself. But you want to care about people. You aren't mean-spirited.”

“What makes you say that?” He straightened his shoulders, trying to make himself bigger than he was. This was making him feel uncomfortable, how well she had read him.

“Lawyer skills, remember? Sizing people up is what I do. Well, that and arguing.”

“How do you know you're right?”

“I'm right.” Her nose wrinkled as she grinned at him. “Besides, you've already forgotten that I talked you down to 200 caps.”

_Dammit._

 

As they made their way further north, Alice's smug expression faded.

“When we get to Sanctuary, there's going to be some other people there. They... know I'm from a vault, but they don't know about the freezing part.” She glanced up at him. “I don't really want them to know. I don't want to bring any trouble to them. They're good people.”

“How did you meet them?”

Alice sighed and told him a long, ridiculous story about raiders, an old museum, and a set of power armor. He burst out laughing when she started trying to describe a deathclaw.

“What's so funny?” She crossed her arms across her chest indignantly.

“You have got to be kidding. There's no way any of that happened.”

“Fine. You'll just have to ask Preston when we get there.”

“I fully intend to. Can't have you trying to pull a fast one on me.” He shook his head, then thought for a moment. “They... didn't have deathclaws before the war, did they?”

“No, thankfully. Why?”

“So you'd never seen one before.” He frowned as she shook her head. _There's no way she'd be able to describe an up-close encounter with a deathclaw unless that actually happened._ “You just get more and more surprising. Didn't think that was possible.”

She paused for a moment, as if considering her response, but changed her mind, and held out her arm, showing him the map on her pip-boy.

“We're almost back to Sanctuary, it's just over that hill!”

They clambered up the hill, Dogmeat barking with happiness as Sanctuary came into view. MacCready stared down at the small village with surprise. There were several pre-war houses, seemingly untouched. Where houses had been torn down, small shanties had been erected. Guard posts were erected around the perimeter, and a large field of crops was being tended to by several settlers. As they approached, a worn wooden bridge rattled under their feet, alerting the sentry on duty to their presence.

 

“Hold up!” He shouted from behind a small barricade. “State your business!”

“State MY business?” Alice glared. “This is my home!”

The flustered sentry was about to respond when a new voice called out from behind the nearest house.

“It's alright, Charles. She's with us.” A man a long coat and hat stepped out of the shadows and smiled warmly at Alice. “It's good to see you again. Was starting to think you weren't going to make it back.” He glanced at MacCready and raised his eyebrows. “Looks like you found some help along the way.”

Alice nodded and reached forward to shake his hand.

“Definitely. Preston, this is MacCready. MacCready, Preston Garvey of the Minutemen.”

The men shook hands, trying to size each other by the firmness of grip and steadiness of gaze. After a few moments, Preston seemed satisfied and released MacCready's hand.

“That radio beacon we set up has been doing wonders.” He gestured towards the cluster of houses. “People have been showing up for about a week now. They've made themselves right at home, but I made sure they stayed out of that house in the middle. Sturgess did do some repairs on the outside for you, though.”

Alice smiled with relief.

“Thanks, Preston. I appreciate that.”

“Heck, after what you did for us in Concord, I wasn't about to give away your base camp.” He clapped his hand on her shoulder, the dark skin of his hand contrasting with the dirty fabric. His eyes widened as he noticed the bloodstains. “What happened?” He glared at MacCready.

“We ran into some trouble on the road.” Alice sighed. “Then caused some trouble of our own.”

“Your son...?” Preston let the sentence trail off as Alice shook her head.

“We found the man who took him and dealt with him. But Shaun wasn't there.” She glanced around at the wandering settlers. “I'll fill you and Sturgess in later. I don't want to worry people.”

“Good plan. We'll talk soon.” Preston gave a nod to MacCready, then continued his patrol of the village.

 

For a settlement that had only been around for a week or so, Sanctuary was thriving. Several pre-war houses were being repaired, small campfires burned, and the smell of cooking meat filled the air. MacCready felt his stomach rumble, and glanced around, looking for the source of the smell. Before he could find any food, Alice stopped in front of a small house in the center of the village. Several settlers watched curiously as she pushed open the door, but she paid them no mind. MacCready followed her in, taking care to shut the door behind them.

 

Without a word, Alice dropped her pack on the floor and beelined for the back rooms. She walked through a doorway, pulling a curtain closed behind her. Awkwardly, MacCready explored the rest of the small house. The large main room contained the kitchen and living room, a couch taking up much of the space. Several damaged books lay on a small table, and a worn rug spread across the floor. Two of the rooms were practically empty, long ago stripped of anything of use or value. Walking into the third room, he felt a chill go up his spine. _This must have been her son's room._ A small crib stood in the center of the room, a broken mobile dangling pathetically above it. Gently, MacCready reached out and gave it a push. It spun haphazardly for a moment, before wobbling to a stop. Even with its age, it was still nicer than anything he had ever had for Duncan.

“I couldn't bring myself to touch anything in here,” Alice said, coming up behind him. She had changed out of her bloody shirt into another one, stained and too large. It hung off her, making her seem much smaller than she was. “In case I could bring him back here... pick up where we left off...” She sighed heavily, stretching her hand out towards the crib, before pulling it back. MacCready tried to think of something to say, anything to comfort her, or even to lessen how uncomfortable the moment was. But his words died in his throat. Careful not to touch her, he stepped aside and slide out of the room.

 

A whirring noise from the kitchen attracted his attention, a Mister Handy was whirling about, setting out a bowl and spoon on the ruined table top. Sensing MacCready's presence, the robot spun towards him, its circular blade rotating menacingly.

“I'm sorry, Miss Alice specifically requesting this house remain empty.” It edged closer to him, trying to move him towards the door. “I must ask you to leave immediately!”

“Codsworth! Stop!” Alice ran out of the back, putting herself between MacCready and the spinning blade. “He's a friend!”

MacCready exhaled as the blade moved away, and the robot went back to setting the table.

“Ah, Miss Alice! You're home! Shall I set another place for dinner?”

“Yes, Codsworth. Set a couple extra for Preston and Sturgess as well.” She turned away from the robot and looked up at MacCready with worried eyes. “Did he get you at all? I am so sorry about that.”

“I'm okay, don't worry about it.” He glanced past her to Codsworth, who seemed to be humming to himself as he moved plates around. “Could have used a warning, though.”

“I forgot I set his security measures to their highest setting.” She bit her lip. “When I first got out the vault... He was the only thing I had to protect myself with.”

“Seriously, don't worry about it. Just make sure he knows I'm going to be around.”

She nodded and sat on the rug to begin unpacking her bag. Ammo in one pile, food in another, and seemingly random junk in a third. MacCready relaxed on the couch, trying hard not to nod off. It had been a long time since he had gotten a full night's rest.

 

A knock at the door jolted him out of his restful state, and Preston entered the house, followed by a stocky man in overalls. He introduced himself as Sturgess, the resident mechanic, and slowly drifted away from MacCready to peruse the junk Alice had brought back. Preston shook his head with a laugh and took a seat on the couch.

“You've been gone for almost a week.” He said with a thin smile. “Fill me in on what happened?”

Alice relayed the whole story, from Diamond City to the Triggermen, to Goodneighbor and MacCready, to Kellogg. The first half of the story was new to MacCready, and he listened intently as she described her adventures, but he couldn't help but be proud of himself once she got to his part of the story. She described him in a way nobody ever had, like the hero out of a comic book. She told Preston how MacCready had saved her from the Swan, and kept her safe as she slept. How he had helped her hide from the Yao Guai, and taken out most of the ghouls. When she got to the part about getting saved from her bullet wound, MacCready had to bite his lip to keep from grinning with pride. _Is this how she really sees me? Does she really think I'm some kind of hero? Or is this how she's playing me up for them?_ He glanced over at her, and her face was flushed with excitement. _I think she might actually see me like this..._ He felt his face get hot and busied himself picking at a loose string on his jacket.

 

Once Alice was done with her story, Preston seemed more than satisfied.

“I'm glad Alice was able to secure your services.” He shook MacCready's hand again. “It seems like you've been quite a lot of help.”

“It's nothing.” MacCready tried to play it cool. “Glad to be of service.”

Alice opened her mouth to respond, but Codsworth interrupted her.

“Miss Alice, I have procured a large pot of stew for you and your guests, if you would like to take your seats.”

“I'll serve it, Codsworth. You remember what happened the last time you tried to pour soup.”

“Yes Ma'am, but the stain did come out of Master Nate's pants eventually...”

“It's fine, Codsworth. Thank you.”

She gestured to the table and began ladling thick stew into the small bowls set out at each seat. Once she was done, they all sat down and ate without a word. It seemed they were all too hungry to waste time on a conversation. After eating, Sturgess wandered out of the house while Alice and Preston remained at the table, deep in conversation. MacCready returned the couch, where he finally succumbed to his drooping eyelids.

 

The next morning, he awoke with a start, frantically reaching for his rifle. It lay on a small table next to the couch, upon which someone had laid out a water bottle and mutfruit. He leaned back on the couch as he ate the small breakfast, wiping the juice from the fruit on his sleeve. From the amount of light streaming in through the window, he assumed it was mid-morning. He had slept for at least twelve hours, and he felt amazing. Outside, the sounds of the bustling settlement gave him comfort, he was somewhere safe, out of gunner territory, and his client was secure. _I wonder if she's still sleeping._ After a moment of internal arguing, he decided to go check on her. Carefully pulling back the curtain that acted as a door, he was surprised to find her bed empty. Before he left the room, he took a moment to glance around. It was quite dark, the windows had been completely boarded up, the only light was coming in from where MacCready held open the curtain. Besides the bed, a broken dresser was the only piece of furniture. Nothing on the walls, nothing on the ground. This room was for sleeping, and storing clothes. With a sigh, he let the curtain close and headed out into the street to find Alice.

 

As he walked around Sanctuary, he felt people staring at him. Against all of their basic farming clothes, he stuck out like a sore thumb. Everything about him, from his rifle to the way he walked, said “Mercenary”. Remembering how Alice had talked about him last night, he stuck his chest out and walked with pride. Apparently, Preston had shared parts of Alice's story with the settlers, because as MacCready walked past a group of young women, they giggled and blushed when he looked their way. He tipped his cap and kept walking, trying to keep the illusion of the suave hero. As he walked, he saw a group of settlers sorting junk, several repairing another house, and a woman in a blue dress and headscarf washing laundry in the middle of a large field. But no Alice. A seed of worry began to grow in his chest. _What if something happened in the night? What if the institute somehow got in and took her while I slept?_ The bravado and swagger melted away instantly, and he rushed towards the first familiar face he saw. Preston was patrolling again, his laser musket gripped tightly. He nodded a greeting as MacCready waved him over.

“Hey, Preston, have you seen Alice this morning?”

Preston narrowed his eyes with confusion.

“You must be tired, MacCready. You just walked right past her.” He gestured back towards the field and the woman in the blue dress. “Must have been confusing, seeing her in something other than armor.”

“Yeah, sorry. Thanks.” MacCready backed away and headed towards Alice and her chores. She had a large tub of water and was hanging clean laundry on the remnants of a playground. As he looked closer, he could see her pipboy sitting on the ground next to her, its radio quietly playing a jaunty tune.

She looked up as he approached, sliding off her headscarf and wiping her forehead with it. She had washed the blood out of her hair, and it shone golden in the morning sun. MacCready couldn't help but notice that her dress was damp from the laundry, and clung tightly to her skin. His chest got tight, and he felt a rising ache fill his body, it had been a long time since he had seen a woman like that. Sure, raider women didn't wear a lot of clothes, but the fact they were usually trying to kill him didn't leave much time for this kind of thoughts. But here was a woman completely unarmed, smiling at him, and very, very pretty. The rising ache turned into a tingling sensation on his skin, and he swallowed hard. _No. Push it down, push it away._ He couldn't deny the physical attraction, but if he didn't keep things professional, she'd probably fire him. _Don't do anything stupid. Her odds of surviving long in this world aren't good. Especially without your help._ He closed his eyes and took several deep breaths, trying to think of every female ghoul he knew. When the moment had passed, he opened his eyes and saw Alice staring at him with confusion. She had cleaned the dirt off her face, leaving her cheeks rosy and freckles as the only spots on her skin.

“Are you alright? You look like you're about to pass out.” She reached out her hand towards his arm, and he shuddered backward.

“No, I'm fine. You just had me worried.” He tried to bring back the cocky attitude. “I woke up this morning, and you were gone.”

“I left you some breakfast...” She shook her head, then went back to hanging laundry. “I wanted to get some things done, and I thought you could use the sleep. You looked so peaceful.”

MacCready groaned, thinking about her watching him sleep. It was not helping cool off his brain. Before he could say anything, she was frowning at him, leaning forward to examine his jacket.

“You should let me wash this.” She reached out and gently examined where a sleeve was missing. “I've still got some suds left in this bucket.”

He tried to protest, but she crossed her arms and glared. With a sigh, he slipped it off and handed it to her, along with his scarf. It was the first time in a long time he had actually taken them off, and it felt strange. He rolled his shoulders and noticed she was still staring.

“What now?”

“Your shirt is disgusting! When was the last time it was washed?”

“Probably before the war.”

She wrinkled her nose and gestured with her fingers.

“Give it.”

“What? Right here?”

She rolled her eye impatiently.

“We've seen raiders in much less. Here.” She pulled a clean white shirt off the line and tossed it to him. “You can wear this while I wash these.”

MacCready held his hands up in mock surrender, slipped off his cap, and turned away to peel off the shirt. The morning breeze felt cool against his skin and in his hair, and as he turned to hand Alice the shirt, he could help but notice the strange expression on her face. Her eyes traveled from his hair to his face, and then down to his bare chest. She blinked, then quickly looked back up to his face. When she met his eyes, her cheeks turned a slight shade of pink.

“What?” He asked, self-consciously. If he didn't know any better, it seemed like she was staring at him the way he had stared at her. But it couldn't be that. He was just still building up his own ego.

“You... um... have so many scars...” She bit her lip and looked away. “I'm sorry.”

“Why are you sorry? You're not responsible for any of them.”

“I know... I just... I don't know.” She turned her back to him, her face turning bright red. MacCready took the moment to put on the clean shirt and took a step towards her. A gust of wind ruffled her hair, and he got a wave of her scent. She smelled clean, like soap and flowers, and all those hormonal feelings he had just pushed down came rushing back. In his bones, he felt a primal urge to wrap his arms around her and bury his face in her hair. To rip the buttons off the back of her dress... He slammed his hand over his mouth and exhaled sharply. He had no explanation for the rush of hormones, but something about her at this moment sparked a desire in him that he couldn't quite subdue. Before he could do anything stupid, he stepped back and turned away from her. He couldn't let her see his shame, both the flush on his cheeks and the... other kind.

“You seem busy. I'll let you get back to your laundry.” He heard her turn towards him, but he started to move away.

“MacCready? Are you alright?” Alice's voice was soft, confused. _She wants me to stay. I can't stay._

I'm going to go see if I can help with the guard for a while. Or go hunt. I'll see you back at your house later.” He picked up his pace, rushing towards the wooden bridge. He mumbled something to the sentry about going hunting and stormed off into the woods. Once he was a good distance away, he slumped against a tree and slid to the ground.

 

 _What is wrong with me? What the hell was that?_ He buried his face in his hands. _What if I just leave? I'm far enough north that I could head over to Med-Tek one more time. Get that cure or die trying..._ Before the thought had even fully formed in his mind, his train of thought flashed to Alice's face. The way she had looked while talking about him saving her life. Her happiness at seeing him in the morning. The flash of emotion he couldn't quite decipher when she took his jacket and shirt from him. _She's a recent widow for crying out loud. And you've only known her for three days._ He leaned his head back against the tree. _She's from a completely different world. She's so high above you, you're like an ant. She'll never see you as anything other than a hired gun, so there's no point in wasting time thinking about her like that. Push it down. Push it away._ He thought about releasing the pressure he had built up but fought the urge. The only thing that would accomplish was ruin his ability to make eye contact with her. He'd just have to power through it, do his best to keep her alive, and then bail when he had a good chance at Med-Tek.

 

Deep down he knew it was going to be harder than he thought. Probably impossible.

 


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

 

MacCready crept through the woods, stalking a radstag that had gotten separated from its herd. It had been a few hours, and he knew he couldn't return to Sanctuary empty handed, especially now that everybody thought he was some kind of hero. As he slunk through the shadows, he tried to put Alice out of his mind and focus on his current predicament. If he hung around Sanctuary long enough, he could probably build up enough goodwill to recruit some people to help clear out the ghouls in Med-Tek. _But not Alice. I'm not taking her anywhere with ferals if I can help it._ The Gunners didn't operate this far north, so it would be a straight shot east to Med-Tek. He sighed. _But I still have to get the cure to Daisy in Goodneighbor._ There was no way to get there without the Gunners knowing. Once they knew, it was only a matter of time before Winlock and Barnes were on his ass. _And that would lead them straight here._ _I can't let that happen._ He paused, taking aim at the radstag that had finally wandered into his sights. With one shot, it went down instantly, sliding down the embankment towards the small lake. MacCready grabbed it by the legs and dragged it further towards the edge of the water.

 

When he got within sight of Sanctuary, he paused and watched the settlers as they bustled around, reestablishing their lives in a new place. A group of children were playing some kind of game, laughing and squealing as they darted between the houses. Dogmeat romped with them, barking happily. MacCready smiled to himself, feeling a familiar pang of nostalgia for his time in Little Lamplight. _I can't bring my trouble to these people. I have to take care of the Gunners on my own._ As two of the kids rounded a corner, they almost took out Preston, still walking the perimeter. He laughed, and shooed them on their way, before walking over to Alice. She was taking down the dry laundry, carefully folding everything and sorting them into several crates. She stopped when Preston approached, gesturing with her hands towards the houses. He shook his head and pointed to the bridge. _Oh hell, she's asking about me._  He watched as the conversation continued, ending with Preston tipping his hat before walking away. Once she was alone again, she took MacCready's jacket down from the line and ran her fingers over the ragged edge where a sleeve had been torn off. She sighed, staring at it before looking up and scanning the woods. He stepped into the trees, hoping she couldn't see him, and waited in the shadows until she gave up, wandering back to the houses.

 

With the radstag on the shore of the lake, MacCready jogged back to the bridge. A group of men were standing around, chatting aimlessly with the guard on duty. They were eager to go retrieve fresh meat and dashed off to the spot on the shore where the radstag's body waited. MacCready sighed. _I have to tell her I'm leaving for a while. It's for the best. Keep her out of danger, and get her out of my head._ He headed back to her house, where she was curled up on the couch, squinting at a half-burned book. Her hair was still down, but had changed out of the blue dress, and was back in old pants and an oversized shirt. He was glad of that, the blue dress would have been too distracting, and this was a conversation he didn't want to have in the first place. She smiled as he walked in, and gestured to the kitchen counter. His jacket was there, still worn and stained, but the smudges of dirt and mud were gone. As he slipped it on, he couldn't help but notice how clean it smelled. He was so used to everything being dirty, that he hadn't even realized that it had smelled bad before.

 

He took a seat next to her and slid his cap off his head. He rubbed the brim of it nervously with his thumb and took a deep breath.

“Do you know what you're going to do next?” He placed his cap on his knee. “I know you want to find your son, but it seems like you've got a good thing going here. You could have a normal life, for a while at least.”

“Oh. I thought we would head back to Diamond City to see if Nick had any ideas. Besides, you don't really seem like the settling down type... Wait.” Her eyebrows wrinkled in suspicion. “I get it. You want me to stay here, and you want to leave.”

“I... I just have to take care of something.” His shoulders sagged. “I'll be back...”

“Sure you will.” She started to stand, but he grabbed her by the elbow and pulled her back down to the couch.

“No, it's not like that. I have something I need to deal with before I can safely head back into Boston.”

“Are you in trouble?” She leaned forward, her sad expression turning to concern.

“No... not really.” MacCready rubbed the bridge of his nose. “I don't go around sharing stuff like this, but you've been pretty straight with me. So I'm going to be straight with you. It's those two assh-” He groaned, cutting off the word before he could finish it. “Those two idiots you saw me talking to at the Third Rail. Winlock and Barnes.”

“I remember them.” She frowned at the thought of them.

“They've been hounding me for months and it's been driving off clients. No one wants to touch me once they learn I used to run with the Gunners.”

“Are the Gunners really that bad?” She leaned back, hugging her knees to her chest.

“Not as bad as Kellogg or raiders, but still pretty bad. I left when they started requiring me to do things no one should be asked to do.” He chose not to elaborate, but by the look on her face, Alice seemed to get the picture. “Anyway, I figured if I got enough caps together, maybe I could buy them out.”

“No.” Alice shook her head. “I wouldn't trust those guys, even if you paid them off.”

MacCready's heart sank. He knew she was right.

“Yeah.” He groaned. “I'm right there with you.” With a sigh, he leaned back against the couch, letting his head fall back so that he was staring at the ceiling. “Even if they took the money, there's no guarantee that they wouldn't change their minds later. Then I'd be broke and on the run. I don't even know how I'd pull it off. They have a small army of Gunners with them at all times.”

“Could you meet them somewhere neutral? Somewhere with just the two of them?” Alice was leaning forward again. He glanced over at her from the corner of his eye and was surprised to see how intensely she was staring at him. He shook his head.

"If I set up a place to meet them, I'm sure they'd roll in with everyone they've got. More than likely they'll decide to just keep the caps, and put a bullet in my head for good measure.” He ran his fingers through his hair and sat up straight again. “I'm at a loss at what to do.”

Alice's eye flicked back and forth, her mouth set in a stubborn frown.

"Couldn't we just hide from them?" MacCready shook his head. 

 “I was able to avoid them for several months, but I know eventually they'll track me down again. Then I'd be dead.” He bit his lip and stared at his hands. “Then you'd be dead since you were the client I took on after their warning. They'd want to make examples out of the both of us.” Her eyes widened, and MacCready felt a knot growing in his stomach at the thought of Alice in the hands of the Gunners. “I wasn't really thinking straight when you hired me at the Third Rail. I didn't realize then that you'd get dragged into this.”

“So what are we going to do?”

“We?” He glared at her and shook his head. “No. You're staying here where Preston and the others can keep you safe.”

Bullshit.” She folded her arms across her chest and glared back. “I paid for YOUR protection. Not theirs. I'm not some delicate porcelain doll you keep on a shelf. I have things I need to do, and this problem is in our way. Let me help you.”

_Could she? She did fight her way through raiders and triggermen before she got to me. Hell, she made it all the way to Goodneighbor on her own. With a little guidance, she could be a better shot.  It's crazy, but it might work..._

He rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

“Maybe you and I could pay them a little visit, and put an end to them before they realize what's going on.” He couldn't help but laugh at how skeptical she looked. “Before you get that look on your face, let me just say I wouldn't be asking you if I didn't trust you.”

She grinned, and leaned forward, resting her hand on his knee. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up.

“If you need my help, I'm there.” He knew she wouldn't have said anything different, but it still shocked him, that she was willing to put aside her own problems to help him. He set his hand on top of hers, squeezing gently.

“The truth is... I haven't been able to rely on anyone since I was a kid. Everyone I've met had either tried to rip me off, or plant a knife in my back.” He squeezed her hand again and felt her give a tiny shiver. “But you? You're different. We see eye to eye on most everything.” He swallowed hard. “And I have a funny feeling you actually care about what happens to me.”

She sat quietly, staring at his hand on hers. He thought about moving his hand, but her skin felt so soft against his callused palm. The moment needed to be enjoyed as long as possible, especially if she was about to follow him into extreme danger.

“I do care. You saved my life. Repeatedly. You're... You're my only friend here. You're really all I have right now.”

“What about Preston?”

“Preston is a good man, but his concern is broader. He wants to reform the Minutemen, and provide for his people.” She smiled sadly and looked out the window. “It's so strange, seeing this place come back to life. I should be happy, but it just reminds me that things are never going to go back to the way they were.” She slid her hand out from under his and rubbed it with the other. “So... what's the plan?”

“We should post up here for a while. Get some good rest and solid meals under our belts. We can head out into the woods, and I'll give you some shooting pointers. We'll want to take on the gunners from a good distance, save your shotgun for when things get desperate.”

“When? Not if?”

He nodded.

“It's probably not going to go as badly as it did with Kellogg, but I don't expect it to be pretty.” He sighed. “Once we're ready, we'll head down to the Mass Pike Interchange and take them down.”

“Sounds like a plan.” She bit her lip, and stood up, moving towards the back of the house. MacCready got up and followed, wanting to make one last thing clear. She turned to look up at him, and she couldn't hide that her eyes were wide with worry.

“Look, if you decide you don't want to do this, I'm not going to hold it against you. Either way, thanks for hearing me out.” He smiled broadly at her. “It's nice to know you care.”

“I'm not backing out of it.” She smiled back. “I'd be lying if I said I wasn't worried. But you got me through Kellogg. I can get through this.” She inhaled deeply and sighed. “And then we'll find Shaun, and I'll come back here. And you can get back to your business.” She patted his arm and stepped away, slipping behind the curtain into the darkness of her room. Just like before, he had to fight off the urge to pull her back. _What is she doing to me?_ He stomped back to the couch, and sat down, burying his face in his hands.

 

Over the following days, MacCready and Alice fell into a smooth routine. She always woke before he did, and left a small breakfast on his side table. He would then find her out doing some kind of chore; laundry, farming, or helping to build small dwellings for the constant stream of arriving settlers. She even put her lawyer skills to the test a few times, solving small disputes and arguments as they came up. He would join in with the chores, or head off on his own to hunt. In the afternoon, she would follow him into the woods, and he gave her lessons on distance shooting. How to aim, breathe deeply, and fire with confidence. Then they would head home for dinner, and while Codsworth patrolled the house's perimeter, she would tell MacCready about life before the war, her friends, jobs she had done, funny things that had happened so long ago. She answered his questions about things he had seen in books and magazines. Told him the plots of movies he had seen rotting posters for. Described the feeling of riding in a car, of flying in an airplane.

He taught her about the world now. How life had changed in 200 years. About caravans, and traveling traders. About Rivet City and Megaton back in DC. He was vague about Little Lamplight, and never spoke about Lucy and Duncan. She never talked about Nate.

After talking for hours, she would retire to her room, and he headed for the couch. And every night, it got harder for him to let her walk away.

 

Two weeks later, they were walking back over the bridge from target practice, when Preston hurried towards them.

“Some friends of yours from Diamond City are here.” He smiled warmly at them. “I sent them to your house, hope you didn't mind.”

“Not at all,” Alice said with confusion and shrugged at MacCready. "But we weren't expecting anybody..." When they got back to the house, he entered first, his rifle ready to fire if necessary.

“Hang on there, no need for that!” A familiar voice called out.

MacCready sighed with relief and motioned for Alice to join him. Nick Valentine and Piper were in the kitchen, both leaning against the counter.

“What are you guys doing here?” Alice asked, clearly pleased, yet confused to see them. Nick shrugged.

“It had been so long since you left Diamond City, that I wanted to make sure you were all right. A trader mentioned this settlement, and I figured if you had survived, you would have headed back here.” He glared at Piper. “And once she found out I was going to look for you, she decided she had to come with me.”

“I still want that interview, Blue,” Piper grinned, and then looked around conspiratorially. “They don't know about you coming from a vault do they?”

"I haven't told anyone. But I'm pretty sure they all suspect it." Alice said carefully. MacCready winced, remembering that only Nick and Ellie knew about the Vault's truth.

“So what happened?” Nick pressed. “Where's your son?”

“You were right, Nick. Kellogg took my baby. But that wasn't all.” She glanced around and lowered her voice. “He was working with the Institute. He... He gave them Shaun.”

“The Institute?” Piper slid into a chair. “Hoo boy.”

“I'm sorry, friend. Truly.” Nick reached out and patted Alice's hand. “That makes things...considerably more complicated.”

“He ain't kidding.” Piper drummed her fingers on the table. “Heck, Nick's a synth, and even he doesn't know how to get in.”

“No synth does. Security protocols strip those memories out.”

“What?” Alice cocked her head to the side. “Mister 'Metal for Hands' doesn't know how to get back tot the factory?” MacCready had to cough to cover up his laughter. Over the last week, Alice had surprised him with some sharp and sarcastic commentary.

“No, I skipped that part of the orientation film while they were taking me apart and putting me back together.” Nick shot back.

Piper cleared her throat awkwardly.

“I've been investigating these creeps for over a year now.” She rested her chin in her hand. “The Commonwealth's boogeyman. Feared and hated by everyone.”

“True enough.” Nick agreed.

“Sometimes they snatch people in the middle of the night. And sometimes they leave old synths behind to remind us that they're out there. But to this day, there's one thing nobody really knows...”

“Where the Institute actually is.” Nick interrupted. “Or how to get in.”

“Exactly. But there's one person who must know, right? The guy who just handed them Shaun.”

“Kellogg, huh?” Nick scratched his chin, while Alice and MacCready exchanged a worried glance. _Oh, that's not good._

“Yeah... a man like that would have had access.” Alice stared at her feet and scuffed her shoe on the floor. “In and out.”

Nick leaned back against the counter, folding his arms across his chest.

“I'm guessing he wasn't the “surrender and talk” type, was he?”

“Well, we can talk to him.” Alice looked up at Nick and shrugged. “Feel like holding a séance?”

Nick rolled his eyes, while Piper went back to drumming her fingers on the table.

“So a murderer and kidnapper get's his brain blown out by an avenging parent.” She sighed. “It'd be a great ending if we didn't still have the biggest mystery in the Commonwealth to solve.”

MacCready shook his head.

“He wasn't going to talk. Even if we had a way of bringing him in alive.” He gritted his teeth, just thinking about Kellogg made him furious. The way that man had dragged Alice towards him, staring down at her with a pistol aimed at her heart...   _I never planned on bringing him in alive anyway._

“Gets his brains blown out...” Nick muttered under his breath. “Huh. His brains. You know, we may not need the man at all.”

“You're talking crazy here, Nick.” Piper stood up and peered curiously into the exposed mechanics of Nick's neck. “Got a fault in the ole' subroutines?” Nick brushed her away.

“Look, there's a place in Goodneighbor called the Memory Den. Relive the past moments in your mind as clear as the day they happened.” He took a moment and cleared his throat. “If anyone could get a dead brain to sing, it'll be Doctor Amari, the mind behind the memories.”

“I hope you're right, Nick,” Alice said hopefully. "It's the only option we have."

“Let's see... I guess we're going to need a piece of Kellogg's brain. Enough gray matter to bring to Amari, and find out if this is going to work...”

Piper recoiled in horror.

“Jesus, Nick! Gross! Seriously??”

“I know it's gristly, but what choice do we have?” He threw up his hands. “We got no leads. Nothing. That old merc's brain just might have all the secrets we need to know.”

MacCready elbowed Alice in the side and motioned towards the old refrigerator. When they had returned from the base, Alice had stored the plastic bag from Kellogg in the freezer section. It didn't keep it cold, but it was airtight.

“Actually...” She said, pulling open the door. “I think I already have something. Kellogg had this... thing attached to his head.”

Nick held up the bag and studied it, while Piper turned away, a green tint coming over her face.

“Cybernetics, huh? We may have just won the lottery.” He set the bag down on the counter. “I have to go to the Memory Den with you if I'm gonna introduce you to Amari. So if you want to head there together, just say so.”

Alice looked back at MacCready and shook her head.

“We have one other thing we need to take care of, then we'll head right there.” She gestured to the bag. “Do you think you could take that with you? Get it to Amari faster?” Nick pocketed the bag and stepped towards the door.

“I'm going to head out now, I travel better at night.” He tapped the side of his head. “Night vision and all. Piper, are you coming?”

“Nah, I'm going to stick around here for a while, see what kind of stories I can gather about this place.”

“Sounds good. I'll see you all later.”

 

A few minutes after Nick left, Preston and Sturgess showed up to check in. They joined them for dinner, Sturgess providing several bottles of wine, which were happily consumed by all. After they ate, Preston offered to make room for Piper in the house he lived in, across the street. She accepted, and followed him out, firing off a barrage of questions about the Minutemen. Sturgess waved a goodbye and stumbled out after them.

Once they were alone, MacCready cleared his throat. The wine had gone to his head more than he would have liked, and he blinked hard to concentrate.

“So, it looks like we're heading out tomorrow.”

“Do you think we're ready?” Alice bit her lip nervously. She swayed slightly as if she was having difficulty staying upright.

“I think so.” He reached out and gently placed his hand on her shoulder to steady her. She leaned into his grip, and a shiver ran down his spine. He shrugged it off and tried to look confident. “We're going to be fine.”

“I hope so.”

Neither of them moved, and Alice looked up at him expectantly.

“What's wrong?” He asked softly.

“I... I know we need to do this. For your safety, for OUR safety, and to keep working towards finding Shaun. It's just...” She sighed. “I'm realizing that I can build a life here. That I can move forward. This place, this time... finally feels real.”

“You don't want things to change.”

“No.” She said quietly. “Not again.”

Despite the sober little voice in the back of head screaming at him to stop, MacCready pulled her towards him and wrapped his other arm around her. She relaxed against him with a sigh, and every nerve in his body twitched. This was everything he had spent the last two weeks thinking about. _Well, almost everything._

“It's gonna be okay.” He murmured into her hair. It smelled amazing, just like he imagined it did. “We'll come back here. Go back to this, if that's what you want.” She nodded against his chest, her fingers curling around the hem of his jacket. After a moment, she looked up at him and blinked slowly, her eyes looked huge from this angle, and everything about her radiated softness. Without meaning to, MacCready leaned towards her, stopping himself when his forehead was only a few inches from her's. _Dammit, she's just too drunk and vulnerable right now. I'd ruin everything we've built if I pressed forward now. But god how I want to._ Fighting against every fiber of his being, he pulled back. “I'm sorry. I shouldn't have... I... We should get some sleep. Tomorrow is going to be a long day.”

“Right.” She mumbled, and pushed away. Without looking at him, she turned and walked into her room. Once she was out of sight, MacCready leaned against the wall, letting his head connect with a solid thump.

“God, I'm such an idiot.” He muttered out loud and rubbed his face with one hand. He headed back to the couch, and as he lay down, he placed his hand on his chest where just moments before, Alice had been. _I have to do everything in my power to make sure we survive tomorrow. If coming back to this life is a possibility, I have to fight for that._ In the back of his mind, a little voice piped up with a reminder of Duncan, and his need for a cure. _I can do that too. If we can deal with Winlock and Barnes, we can get through Med-Tek._

 

_I can make everything right._

 

 

 

 

 


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

 

The next morning, MacCready woke in an anxious mood. His head ached from the wine, and he desperately wanted the day to be like every other day of the past week. But it was already different. Instead of being out in the village, Alice was in the kitchen, eating a mutfruit and idly flipping through an old magazine. Her hair was pulled back into a bun, and she had all her armor on. As MacCready sat up, she looked over at him and nodded without making eye contact. In an instant, the night before flooded back, and MacCready felt his face flush.

“Morning.” He mumbled, pulled his boots on, and stood up to stretch. He groaned at an unexpected stiffness in his neck and snatched his jacket off the couch.

“Ready?” Alice asked nervously.

“More than ready to get this over with.” He responded, grabbing a box of Sugar Bombs off the counter, and digging out a handful. “We should head out.” He walked over to the window and glanced outside. The sun was just barely peeking over the horizon. “If we leave now, we can get down to the interchange before the evening.” He looked around the room, noticing an absence.

“Where's Dogmeat?

“Across the street. I told Piper I wanted him to keep an eye on her.” She shook her head. “Let's get going.”

MacCready slung the knapsack across his back since Alice now had both her shotgun and a rifle to carry. He adjusted the straps, hoping they had enough firepower to get them through the day. The plan was to retrace their steps to the fort, and there were many dangers to avoid along the way. Conserving ammo was key, they were going to need all of it to take down Winlock and Barnes. It was best to not waste it on raiders.

 

For the first time in weeks, hours passed without them speaking. They made good time to the fort, not having to deal with Alice's gunshot wound made the trip considerably faster. When they arrived they stopped to rest in the remains of the scavenger's camp they had found before. The Institute had definitely been back to clean up Kellogg's mess, the body of the poor woman was gone. MacCready and Alice sat on the small bed, carefully placing themselves on opposite ends, and ate the lunch they had packed. They continued to not speak, either out of concentration on the task ahead, or embarrassment about the night before. Even though nothing had actually happened, MacCready was mortified that he had let his feelings about Alice take him that far. He couldn't actually tell what she was thinking, but he was pretty sure she was feeling awkward about the whole thing. So he didn't say anything and let the silence hang heavy. Thankfully, his headache was finally starting to go away, it had pulsed at the front of his mind all day.

 

After they ate, they packed up and left, heading south towards the interchange. It was only another mile or so until they reached a small service lift up to the raised freeway.

“Looks like this is it,” MacCready said, the first thing spoken since they had left Sanctuary. “All aboard, I guess.”

He stepped onto the rickety platform and grimaced as the metal groaned under his feet. If Alice had disliked the lift in Diamond City, she was really going to hate this one. Sure enough, her face was pale, and she was slowly backing away from the lift.

“Can't we just... shoot them from down here?”

“It's going to be okay, just... close your eyes until we get to the top. We're far enough down from their camp that they shouldn't notice us.” He held out his hand, beckoning with his fingers. After a moment's hesitation, she put her hand in his and stepped onto the left. It was the first contact they had had since the night before, and MacCready saw her face go red, a mirror of his own. As soon as she was on the lift, she dropped his hand like it was burning hot. They looked away from each other and held on tight to the railing as the lift rattled upwards. _I did ruin everything last night._ He mentally kicked himself. _She can't even look at me. I'm such an idiot._

 

When the lift finally reached the elevated road, they crept off and snuck behind an old bus.

“All right.” MacCready took off the pack and shoved it behind the large wheel. He slipped his rifle into his hands and clicked off the safety. “Winlock and Barnes should be here. Let's take them down.” Alice nodded, grabbed her own rifle and set her face with an expression of determination.

They stayed low, crouching behind long abandoned cars as they made their way forward. After a few minutes, MacCready held up his hand and gestured for her to follow him behind one last car.

“This is it.” He hissed. “There's no going back from here. There's a turret up ahead, and once we take that out, they'll definitely know we're here.”

“What's our plan?” Alice whispered back, her knuckles white as she gripped her gun tightly.

“Once the turret goes down, I'll take any Gunners that come out from the right side of that barricade. You take any that slip out from the left. If you miss or need to reload, let me know.” He swallowed hard. “If more than four of them come out at a time, I'll chuck a grenade.”

“How many of them do you think are in there?” She squeaked, her eyes growing wide.

“At least twelve, not counting Winlock and Barnes. We have to kill all of them. If any survive, they'll never stop hunting us.” _I shouldn't have brought her. I shouldn't have gotten her involved. This was a terrible idea._ He cleared his throat. “You still have time. If you go now, you can get back to the lift.”

She glared at him, setting her jaw stubbornly.

“I'm not leaving.”

“You sure?”

“Absolutely.”

“Right then. On three, we take out the turret.” They both took up their firing positions, bracing their arms against the old car. “One.” He inhaled deeply. “Two...” He glanced over at Alice, her face was hard with concentration, her nostrils flaring as she breathed heavily. _I'm so sorry I dragged you into this._ “Three!”

 

A few direct hits took out the turret, and as expected, three Gunners came out to investigate. With practiced efficiency, MacCready took them down with one shot apiece. He heard shouting from behind the barricade, and several more Gunners ran out, only to join their comrades in a bloody heap. As he steadied his aim, MacCready tried not to think about who he was killing. If any of them had been people he had gone on missions with, people he had eaten with, drank with, slept near... He pushed the thought out of his mind, survival was the only option. Movement caught his eye, someone was trying to sneak out the left side of the barricade, and Alice's shot had caught him in the thigh. The Gunner screamed, clutching at the blood pouring his leg. A second shot put him out of his misery, and Alice swore under her breath.

“Shit! Sorry!”

“You're fine,” he whispered back. “Just remember to breathe.”

The screaming had apparently done them a service; in the next wave of Gunners, Barnes climbed to the top of the barricade.

“I don't know who you think you are, mother fucker, but you're going to pay for this!”

“There's so many of them!” Alice said, her voice cracking with worry. “Time for a grenade?”

“Damn straight,” MacCready grinned and chucked the projectile towards the crowd of Gunners. When the explosion went off, it was easy to pick off the wounded Gunners on the ground. He swung his rifle up towards Barnes, but his body was slumped over the railing, blood pouring from a shot in his chest. He glanced over at Alice, and she was grinning at him triumphantly.

“One down.”

“One to go.” He responded. “Let's move up to the barricade. I don't think they're going to be stupid and try to rush it again.” She nodded and followed him in a crouch past the smoldering remains of the turret. Carefully, he snuck over to the left side, and peered around it, trying to make himself as invisible as possible. He counted four Gunners, but no Winlock. Narrowing his eyes, he looked harder at the back of the camp and had to bite his tongue to keep from swearing. He leaned back and grabbed Alice by the arm.

“You need to go. Now.” He tried to push her away, but she planted her feet and stood her ground.

“What? No!”

“There's no time! Things are about to go very bad.”

“I'm not leaving you here!”

Frustrated, he yanked her close and glared down at her.

“There's four Gunners left. I can deal with that. But Winlock is in power armor, and-” He froze as the air behind the barricade turned orange. He dropped to the ground, dragging Alice down with him. A second later, a fiery beam tore through the wood right where their heads had been. “They have an assaultron.” He hissed dejectedly. It was too late for her to run. The minute she was clear of the barricade, the robot would tear her apart, either with the energy beam, or its razor sharp blades.

“Oh shit.” Her face was pale as she realized the grimness of the situation. “I... I just...”

“Look, it's recharging. We have a window to take it down. Just aim for the legs. Once it's down, focus on the head.” He released her arm with a sigh. “Don't let it get close to you.”

Moving quickly to the edge, they concentrated fire on the assaultron. After several harrowing moments, the assaultron collapsed to the ground, its energy weapon trying to charge back up. Exhaling deeply, he fired the last shot in his gun, sighing with relief as it struck true, exploding the robot's head in a shower of sparks.

 

“Cover me while I reload!” Alice nodded, ducking below him like they had practiced, and took careful aim before firing off several shots. “How'd you do?”

“Took out three.” She reported with a smile. “One Gunner off to the left, and Winlock.”

“Let me take a look.” She scooted back, and as MacCready peered around the corner, he locked eyes with a furious Winlock. The merc's eyes narrowed in recognition, and his face turned red, a vein throbbing on the side of his head.

“MACCREADY!” He roared. “You're fucking dead, you hear me?” He stomped towards them, the power armor hissing as it propelled him forward. “I'm going to make you wish you were never fucking born!” As he got closer, the ground seemed to shake with ever step he took.

MacCready looked down at Alice, who clutched her rifle to her chest, her face terrified.

“We're going to be fine. He's all talk.” He tried to sound reassuring. “Once he gets close enough, we'll have a clear shot at his face.”

“I'm going to fucking shoot you in the knees, then shoot you in the gut,” Winlock's rage was reaching levels of insanity. “And while you bleed out, I'll make you watch while I deal with that little blonde bitch of yours!”

Alice inhaled sharply, and MacCready's heart felt like it had stopped. He couldn't breathe. Without thinking, he stepped out from behind the barricade and marched towards Winlock. His vision narrowed, there was nothing in the world except the target in front of him. Time seemed to slow down as he raised his rifle, He heard Alice scream at him to come back, and he felt pain as a bullet tore through the muscle on his calf, followed by the sound of Alice's shotgun going off. He steadied himself, aimed directly at Winlock's throat, and pulled the trigger. The merc went down coughing and gasping, with a look of shock on his face. MacCready forced himself to walk forward, ignoring his leg as best as he could. He got all the way to Winlock and lowered his rifle, aiming it between the eyes that stared up at him with burning hatred.

“I told you I was done, but you couldn't stop.” He cocked the rifle, readying a round in the chamber. “Then you had to cross that line. You had to make it personal.”

“Fu--- F---” Winlock gasped at him, reaching up with twitching bloody fingers.

“I told you I'm done.” He said coldly, and fired, exploding Winlock's head all over the pavement. He stood for a moment, then his leg buckled under him. But Alice was there, sliding under his arm, trying her best to support his weight. With her help, they made it over to what had apparently been some improvised quarters and sat down on the bed. Alice was on the verge of hysterics, staring at his leg in horror.

“Oh god. Oh no.” She whispered under her breath. MacCready reached up and grabbed her hand.

“Hey, hey. I'm okay, I just need a stimpak.” He tried to shrug off the extreme pain shooting up his leg. Alice froze.

“Shit, they're still in the bag. I'll be right back!”

 

Before he could protest, she tore her hand out of his grip and took off running back down the freeway. He moved to the side to try and see her, but she was already past the barricade. With a sigh, he leaned forward and began gingerly rolling his pant leg up. The bullet had gone through the muscle, but luckily had missed the bone; stimpaks didn't do a great job of repairing that much damage. By the time he had the wound exposed, Alice was back with their supplies. She dug through the bag and triumphantly pulled out a stimpak.

“Okay, just inject it right above the wound. It'll take care of everything else.” She removed the needle's cover, but her hand shook as she aimed the syringe at his leg. Gently, he reached down and placed his hand over hers. Together they jammed the stimpak into his skin, and he sighed with relief as the pain relievers did their job.

“I'm so sorry.” She knelt on the ground, staring at his leg. “I should have taken that last Gunner out sooner. But I didn't know you were going to go charging off like that!”

“It's okay.” He scooted himself back on the small bed and leaned against the rough wooden wall. “ You were quick with the shotgun, and let's just be thankful his aim was terrible.” He looked out at the carnage and laughed. “This should send a message to the Gunners to stay off my back.”

“You aren't afraid they're going to retaliate?”

“The way these lunatics act, you'd think they would... but I know better.” He grimaced as the stimpak continued to do its work. “For the Gunners, it's always about the bottom line. They just lost this entire waystation and that cost them big.” Alice considered this, reaching up to tuck a few stray strands of hair behind her ear. She didn't notice the small streak of red she left behind, and it turned MacCready's stomach to know that was his blood in her hair. “Besides, once we get out of here, they have no way of knowing I was involved.”

“We should get out of here before more of them show up.” She agreed. “How long till you can walk?”

“Oh, I should be fine now. It'll be slow going, but the sooner we leave, the better.”

The walk back to the lift was slow, hindered by MacCready's speed, and his desire to loot everything, as well as spit on the corpses of Winlock and Barnes. When they finally reached solid ground, he folded his arms across his chest and leaned against the large support column of the freeway.

“So I guess I owe you a favor now. After all, you hired me, but I'm the one that dragged you out here.”

Alice grinned at him, manic with exhaustion and adrenaline.

“Well, I wasn't about to let you have all this fun alone.” He laughed, glad things were getting back to normal. _Maybe she'll just forget about yesterday..._

“Glad you enjoyed it.” He blinked a few times and made a split-second decision. “Tell you what. I'm going to give you back the caps you paid me in Goodneighbor. I'll still stick with you because that was part of the original deal, but now we're even.” She looked at him like he had gone crazy, and he raised his eyebrows. “I guess we're done here. Lead on, boss.”

Alice still stared at him, her mouth opening and closing like she was trying to speak, but no words came out. He laughed and checked their surroundings for a place to settle down, as the sun was starting to set. In the distance, he noticed the flickering lights of a campfire. “Let's head that way, see if it's a friendly face or not.” Alice nodded, still not saying anything.

 

The fire turned out to be the small camp of a trader, who happily let them sit by her fire on rented sleeping bags and eat her food, once a moderate fee was paid. They leaned against the ruins of a freeway onramp, sitting just close enough that MacCready could feel Alice's presence, but not close enough that their shoulders touched.

“So... you impressed yet?” MacCready asked, thinking about his miracle shot on Winlock. “I told you I was a damn good shot.”

“I dunno.” She shrugged, her face indifferent. “I haven't really noticed.”

“Oh come on!” He glared at her until he noticed she was fighting a smile.

“Alright, I suppose so.” She rolled her eyes in his direction.

“There you go. That wasn't too hard to admit, was it?” He elbowed her in the side. “I'm completely self-taught you know. Picked up a sniper rifle when I was ten and never looked back.” Alice turned to face him with curiosity. She had constantly pestered him to talk more about his past, but he always deflected. He didn't know why, but now seemed as good a time as any. “Yeah, I always thought it was smarter to hit my targets at long range. I mean, why to take chances, right?” He took a swig from his warm Nuka-Cola and look satisfied at her interest. “Besides, I had to come up with every trick in the book to survive the Capitol Wasteland.”

“I'm sure your parents were thrilled about your hobby.”

“No, I never knew my parents.”

“That's awful.” She sighed. “Do you know what happened to them?”

“Never bothered to find out.” He reached down and scratched his leg where the new scar tissue itched slightly. “Figured they died, or just left me at Little Lamplight.” Alice reached over and placed her hand on his in sympathy, giving it a small squeeze before setting it back in her lap. He shivered slightly at her touch, and tried not to let show on his face.

“Remember I mentioned living underground with a bunch of other kids? We kinda had a policy there... no adults. When you were sixteen, you packed up and left.”

“That's insane.” Alice shook her head.

“I know it sounds crazy,” MacCready agreed. “But having adults around was something we couldn't trust.”

Alice stared into the fire, her face drawn with concern.

“How could a bunch of kids survive without help?” She glanced up at MacCready, and he shrugged.

“Everyone pulled their own weight. Just like a colony you'd find anywhere. We all had designated jobs and we watched each other's backs.” He straightened his shoulders and sat with more pride. “Can you believe I was actually the mayor for a while? Me?” He laughed at Alice's surprised face. “Crazy, I know.” She wrinkled her nose in thought.

“Makes sense, I suppose.”

He shook his head.

“Nothing makes sense anymore. You just roll with the punches.” He took another sip of his cola. “Anyway, when I hit sixteen I ended up wandering the Capitol Wasteland for a while. I took the odd job here and there, but things were pretty hot with the Brotherhood of Steel running the show. So I hitched a ride with a caravan, and made my way north until I ended up here.” Alice was completely engrossed in his story, so he continued. “Made a pretty decent name for myself before I heard the Gunners needed some sharpshooters.” He hung his head in shame. “Biggest mistake of my life.”

He lifted his head to stare into the fire as if it could burn out the images in his mind. “They were animals. Killed anything that moved if it got in their way. I went with it for a while, because the caps were good... But, I dunno. I guess it started to catch up with me, so I quit.” He sighed, absentmindedly rubbing his thumb against the side of his bottle. “Which pretty much brings us to now. So there you have it, my whole life in a nutshell.”

Silence descended again, the only noise coming from the crackling of the fire and the soft humming of the trader in her hut.

 

“Sounds like the road can be a lonely place,” Alice said quietly. “Until you meet someone to share it with.”

MacCready dropped his bottle. It just slipped right out of his hand. He fumbled to pick it back up and managed to stumble out some words.

“I... well, I never thought of it that way.” He glanced over at her, but she was still staring at the fire. _What did she mean by that? There's no way..._ He decided to toe the line a little. “Maybe that's why I feel so comfortable telling you all this.” He watched her face for any reaction, but there was nothing. He continued to spill words like his soda. “Look, I know I tend to be a pain in the ass... I mean, I know I tend to be arrogant and I come off like I want to be alone. Nothing could be further from the truth.” That got a reaction. She leaned back and studied his face. “Being alone scares the heck out of me. Now that we've been traveling together for a while, I'm beginning to realize how much I missed having someone I could depend on.”

She smiled, hugging her knees to her chest.

“Really?”

“Yeah. I just wanted you to know that I'm going to do everything I can to see that it stays this way.” _I want it to stay this way forever. Well, not EXACTLY this way..._

“Is that why you returned the caps?”

He nodded.

“I feel like our partnership is more important than caps.”

She bit her lip and looked up at him with surprise. He cleared his throat awkwardly. “Well, that's all I had to say. Hope you got something out of all of that. I know I did.”

She smiled, leaning her head against the wall. They continued to stare at the fire until he felt her head droop and slump against his shoulder. He was afraid to move, but knew she couldn't sleep sitting up like that. There was no harm in enjoying it for a few moments though before he moved her to her sleeping bag. He rested his head against hers, breathing in the smell of her hair, mixed with the slight tang of blood and sweat. It was intoxicating, and before he could do anything, he had fallen asleep as well, so close to what he wanted, but still so far away.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Geez. It took me 3 months to get back to writing, and now I apparently can't stop. More headed your way soon!


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten

 

For the first time, MacCready woke before Alice did. The night had been chilly, and in her sleep, she had curled up against him... It pained him to carefully peel her arm from around him and slide her down onto her sleeping bag, but it had to be done. She would be mortified if she knew she spent the night that way. He laid back on his own sleeping bag, lacing his fingers together behind his head and stared up at the sky with a small smile. It was the start of a brand new world for him, one that didn't involve constantly glancing over his shoulder for the Gunners. Winlock and Barnes were dead, the waystation trashed, and the assaultron ruined. Sure, he had taken a shot to the leg and scared the hell out of Alice, but it was worth it for the freedom he felt.

 

Thinking about his leg, he sat up and rolled up the cuff of his pants. It didn't hurt anymore, and new scar tissue had formed over the bullet hole, shiny and pink. He sighed as he examined the newest addition to the collection of scars on his body. A second sigh echoed his, he looked up to see Alice had woken up and rolled over on her side. She stared at the new scar, an expression of guilt on her face.

“It wasn't your fault.” He cut her off before she could even begin to apologize again. “It's fine.” He stood up and walked around the fire. “See? Completely fine. Now, let's get a move on. It's quite the walk to Goodneighbor.” They rolled up the sleeping bags and returned them to the trader. She nodded at them from her chair and went back to lightly dozing.

 

They walked for a while in silence, but it was more of a tired, contemplative silence than the awkward, horrible silence from the day before. They took the route Alice had mapped out on her solo journey to Goodneighbor, sticking close to the river. The lack of conversation helped their trip stay mostly uneventful, they were able to avoid a group of super mutants, and Alice's growing confidence with a rifle helped take out a pack of raiders. Shortly after noon, they arrived at the gates of Goodneighbor. It felt strange for MacCready to be back, he had assumed the Gunners would prevent him from ever returning to this part of the city. He tipped his cap at members of the Neighborhood Watch, shooting death glares at the ones who paid Alice a little too much attention. The Memory Den was in the back section of the town, and Nick Valentine was sitting on a bench outside of it. He stood when he saw them and greeted them with a curious smile.

“Hopefully, you got everything done that you needed to?” He said, raising his eyebrows at the bloodstains on the cuff of Alice's shirt, and the leg of MacCready's pants.

“Everything's great,” MacCready said with a grin and looked over at Alice. She was smiling happily. 

“Let's hope this doctor can tell us what we need to know!" She shivered as a sharp breeze blew past them. "Then we can get back to finding Shaun."

“Let's get this over with quickly, then.” Nick opened the door to the Memory Den and lead them in. MacCready had never gone in during his time in Goodneighbor, and he was excited to see what lay inside the exclusive club.

 

To his dismay, it was mostly empty, with only one of the memory loungers currently in use. The lighting was dim, and soft music played from several radios.

“Well, well. Mister Valentine.” A woman's low voice rang out from the center of the room. “I thought you had forgotten about little ole' me.”

The owner of the voice was a blonde woman, sprawled elegantly on a plush chair.

“I may have walked out of the den, Irma, but I'd never walk out on you.” Nick smiled, and the woman laughed.

“Hmph. Amari's downstairs, you big flirt.” She waved her hand towards a dark hallway at the back of the room. The hallway led to a gloomy stairwell, then down a darkened hallway to a bright office. A couple of memory loungers were set up, each connected to a set of terminals.

“Doctor Amari?” Nick called.

“Yes?” The doctor was a thin woman with short black hair, she wore a lab coat that was stained with age. She turned around and smiled at Nick, then frowned suspiciously at Alice and MacCready. “I take it this isn't a social call?” Her voice had a slight accent to it, but MacCready couldn't place it. It was unlike anything he had heard during the course of his travels. Alice bit her lip and shook her head.

“This one's all yours, Nick.”

“We need a memory dig, Amari, but it's not going to be easy.” He scratched the back of his neck and frowned apologetically. “The perp, Kellogg is already cold on the floor.”

“Are you all mad?” Amari narrowed her eyes. “Putting aside the fact that you're asking me to defile a corpse, you do realize that the memory simulators require intact, LIVING brains to function?”

“Well, technically the corpse was defiled already.” Alice smiled nervously, but Amari was not amused. Nick groaned and rolled his eyes.

“This dead brain had inside knowledge of the Institute, Amari. The biggest scientific secret of the Commonwealth. You need this, and so do we.”

“Fine.” The doctor scowled. “I'll take a look, but no guarantees. Do you... have it with you?”

“Yeah...” Alice said, then paused, nervously rubbing her ring with her thumb. It had been a while since MacCready had seen her do that. “How... much of the brain do you need exactly?”

“That is not an encouraging question. I suppose I'll have to make do with... whatever you can find.”

“I've got that.” Nick pulled the plastic bag out of his pocket.

“What's this?” Amari reached into the bag and pulled out the gooey piece of metal. “This isn't a brain. This is... wait...” She smiled for the first time since they had walked into her lab. “That's the hippocampus! And this thing attached to it... A neural interface?”

“Those circuits look awfully familiar...” Nick agreed.

“I'm not surprised. From what I've seen, all Institute technology has a similar architecture.”

“So the brain is still good, right?” Alice asked hopefully.

“Possibly. There's no sign of decay, so the tech is probably preserving the tissue. Injecting some kind of compound to keep it stable.” Amari sighed. “But there's no way to access the memories inside without a compatible port.”

“You're talking about me, right?” Nick grumbled. “I'm an old synth. If the Institute built me out of similar parts, we might have an in.”

“There... could be long-term side effects. I don't know where to even begin with listing the risks-”

Nick held up a hand towards Amari and shook his head.

“Don't bother. I don't need to hear them. Plug me in, Doc.”

"Wait, Nick has to watch the memories?" Alice frowned.

"How did you think this worked?" Amari narrowed her eyes with suspicion.

"I... thought maybe you could bring it up on the computer..." Alice seemed to shrink a bit under Amari's stare. 

"It's going to be fine." Nick sighed. "It won't take long."

“I appreciate this, Nick.” Alice reached out and squeezed his arm. The old synth patted her hand gently with his metallic one.

“You can thank me when we've found your son.” He waved off Amari's quizzical expression. “All right. Let's do this.”

“Whenever you're ready, Mister Valentine... Just sit down.”

He took a seat in an old office chair next to one of the loungers and looked up at MacCready.

“If I start cackling like an old, grizzled mercenary, pull me out, okay?”

MacCready nodded. _Is that a thing that could happen? Could we accidentally transfer Kellogg's memory and personality into Nick?_ He had never had a mind for science, so he generally assumed anything was possible for smart people.

Nick gestured for Alice to step away, and she backed up against MacCready, flinching slightly. But she didn't move. It was as if she was rooted to the spot while Amari wired the technology into Nick. MacCready fought the urge to rest his hand on her arm but knew this was probably not the time, and definitely not the place.

 

“I need you to keep talking to me, Mister Valentine.” Amari grimaced as she fiddled with some wires on the back of Nick's neck. “Any slight change in your cognitive functions could be dire. Are you feeling any different?”

“There's a lot of flashes... static...” Nick groaned. “I can't make sense of any of it, doc.”

Amari stepped away from him, shaking her head.

“That's what I was afraid of. The mnemonic impressions are encoded.” She sighed. “It appears the Institute has one last fail-safe. There's a lock on the memories in the implant.”

“Is Nick going to be okay?” Alice asked nervously.

“Yes, the connections appear to be stable. Hopefully, it'll be as simple as unplugging the implant once we're done.” Amari folded her arms across her chest and shook her head. “But that doesn't get around the current problem. The memory encryption is too strong for a single mind. But... what if we used two?” She looked at Alice curiously and MacCready felt chills run down his spine. _I don't like where this is going._ “We load both you and Mister Valentine into the memory loungers. Run your cognitive functions in parallel. He'll act as a host while your consciousness drives through whatever memories we can find.”

Alice looked back at MacCready, who shook his head furiously. _No. Either that thing'll fry your brain, or trap you in Kellogg's head somehow._

“I have to do this. It's the only way.” She reached out like she was going to take his hand, then pulled back at the last moment. She turned around to face Doctor Amari. “All right. Let's get started.”

“Just sit down over there.” She gestured to one of the memory loungers, then looked at MacCready with a shrug. “And... keep your fingers crossed.”

 

“See you on the other side...” Nick said with a tight smile as Alice crawled into the small capsule. Her eyes widened as the glass lid closed over her. MacCready stepped up to it and placed his hand on the outside.

“I'm gonna be right here the whole time. It's going to be okay.”

She reached up and put her hand against his for a moment, nodding slowly.

“Initiating brain-wave migration between the transplant and the host...” Amari muttered to herself. “Mnemonic activity coming from the transplant! It's degenerated, but it's there! We're going to load you into the strongest memories we can find. They might not be... stable... just hold on!”

Alice slumped back into the chair, her eyes glazing over as she stared at the small screen before her. MacCready knelt down, angling himself so he could see what was being displayed. He made sure he couldn't see her face, it unnerved him to no end to see her like that.

 

Amari leaned over him, speaking into a small microphone.

“Can you hear me?” She glanced over at one of her small monitors. “Ah, good. The simulation appears to be working, although the memories are quite fragmentary.” The screen went from white to dark blue, strange shapes pulsing and contracting in seemingly random combinations. “I'll try to step you through the intact memories, and hope we find one that gives us some clues to the Institute's location... there. This is the earliest intact memory I can find.”

A room appeared, threadbare and sad looking. But somehow it was still only half of a room. Walls were incomplete, with the darkness and shapes showing through. In the center of it, a young boy, presumably Kellogg, sat surrounded by comic books on a bed while a haggard looking woman sat next to him on an old chair. The point of view on the screen spun wildly, trying to find somewhere to focus.

“Remember, you are experiencing these memories as Kellogg,” Amari said in a soothing voice. “This may prove disorienting at first.”

“So she's walking around in there?” MacCready glanced up at her from the corner of his eye.

“Sort of.” Amari didn't take her eyes off the screen. “As a fragment of this man's memory, she doesn't exactly have a corporeal body, but she can move about freely within the immediate memory. She can't go anywhere that man didn't go, can't see anything he didn't see.”

She leaned over and adjusted a knob on the back of the lounger. A speaker crackled to life, letting the sound of Kellogg's memories into the room.

 

A radio was playing, making some kind of muffled announcement about the NCR. The woman next to the bed was complaining about several things, the radio, Kellogg's school, her husband. When said husband began screaming at her through the wall, she shrugged her shoulders and offered the young Kellogg a gun. He immediately pointed it at the wall, squinting to aim down the sights. Alice's point of view walked up to him, studying him from every angle. Then the lights dimmed, and the people disappeared, leaving the room empty. Amari frowned.

“This doesn't seem to be what we're looking for.” She reached over to her terminal and hit a few buttons. “There appears to be another intact memory close to you in temporal sequence... there. Try that one.” One of the bedroom walls fell away and the pulsing blobs came back. They formed a path to a new scene: a grubby kitchen, sparsely furnished. Kellogg was cooking at a small stove, and talking to a thin woman at the sink, telling her about a job with some new gang. After a few moments, he glanced over at a crib in the side of the room. MacCready gritted his teeth in anger. _He was a parent. He was a parent and he did what he did._ Alice was obviously feeling the same way, she moved over to look at the baby, then rushed over to Kellogg. He was explaining to his wife about his desire to provide for her and his daughter. Alice turned her back to him and moved away. The scene went gray again, and Amari clicked a few buttons.

“Let's... keep looking. I'll connect you to the next intact memory.” Alice followed the path, it lead to Kellogg, angrily stalking down a dark and dirty hallway. A voice crackled over the intercom, the tone mocking and cruel.

“How did you think this was going to end, Kellogg?” It laughed. “You thought you could just fuck with us, and we wouldn't fuck with you?” Kellogg reached the end of the hallway, and Alice got in front of him to stare at his face. It was full of rage... of anger, of hate. Almost a mirror image of Alice's when Kellogg had taunted her back at the fort. “Just so you know- they died like dogs. And you weren't there to help them.” Kellogg's eyes went wild and he kicked down the door in front of him, disappearing into the gloom. Alice turned away as if she was trying to put some distance between herself and the door.

“I've found another memory to try,” Amari said apologetically. “I'll connect you.”

 

The next memory was Kellogg in a bar, apparently numb to the world, taking terrible mercenary jobs without any form of ethics. Nothing about it stood out, so Doctor Amari queued up another. Kellogg meeting with an agent of the Institute, skeletal synths surrounding him. He bargained to betray his current employer, for the caps he knew he could get from the Institute. Nothing was said about a location or way to contact them. MacCready sighed and rocked back on his heels. _This is getting us nowhere. This is just a stupid unnecessary risk._ He glanced up at Alice's face. It hadn't changed expression, she still stared at the screen with unblinking eyes. With another sigh, he looked at Amari expectantly. The doctor rubbed the bridge of her nose and shrugged. 

“Getting warmer. One of these has got to tell us something.” Amari leaned closer to her monitor, examining the data carefully. “We're running out of brain here... uh... ah, there's one that looks mostly intact. Connecting now.”

 

Kellogg was in a vault, flanked by two people in hazmat suits. One of them typed furiously at a terminal, then leaned back in satisfaction. MacCready leaned forward, his hands pressed against the glass, trying to take in more of the scene.

“Manual override initiated.” A robotic voice intoned. “Cryogenic stasis suspended.” _Cryo-? Oh n_ _o. Not this._

“Shut it down.” He reached back and grabbed Amari by the arm, not taking his eyes off the screen. “Don't make her relive this!”

“I can't! It would kill both of them!” She inhaled sharply as she stared at the screen. Alice had definitely recognized her surroundings. She moved towards Kellogg, her restricted pace excruciatingly slow.

“Vault computers are still working. That's good.” The male scientist at the terminal looked over at Kellogg. “Checking through the logs. Hopefully it's all...”

“Just... find it.” Kellogg interrupted, his voice irritated.

“Pod C6. Down the hall near the end.”

Alice kept pace with Kellogg as he slowly walked through the hall of pods. After a moment, he hesitated and pulled out his large pistol. The second scientist, a woman, pointed at a cryo pod, then stepped away.

“This is the one. Here.”

Kellogg positioned himself in front of it, angling his body to an optimal firing position.

“Open it.”

 

Alice moved towards him, keeping her back to the pod that contained her husband. Instead, she circled around Kellogg to stare at herself. MacCready leaned in further, his nose pressed up against the glass in horror. Memory Alice was confused, terrified, banging on the window of her pod. The glass was apparently soundproof, but she was begging Kellogg to let her out, not realizing what was happening. The view turned away as the pod behind her opened, and MacCready got his first look at Nate. He was tall and fit, the tight vault suit emphasizing the muscles on his arm and chest. His face reminded MacCready of the old cowboy movie posters he had seen plastered to buildings _._ For a moment, MacCready felt a knot of jealousy grow in his stomach. He was thin, wiry, covered in scars, his nose had been broken too many times to count, and he was monumentally damaged emotionally. How could he ever compare to the man before him... even the memory of him? Then he mentally kicked himself for even daring to think like that, considering what was happening. _Stop being so selfish, you complete moron. What's wrong with you?_ He sighed and shook his head a few times. _Everything, apparently._

 

He looked back at Nate, who was blinking with confusion, and in his arms, he held the small bundle of blankets that contained Shaun. He coughed, then leaned forward as he breathed heavily. As he moved, MacCready caught a flash of gold on his hand, the ring Alice now wore on a chain around her neck.

“Is it over? Are we okay?” His voice was deep, rugged, and full of concern. He coughed again, hugging Shaun to his chest.

“Almost,” Kellogg said. “Everything's going to be fine.” The Institute scientist reached out for Shaun.

“Come here... come here, baby...” She cooed. Nate recoiled away from her, sensing the wrongness of the situation. He stared at her with deep suspicion, tightening his grip on Shaun.

“No, wait. No, I've got him!”

Kellogg stepped forward, leveling his gun at Nate's chest. He shook his head as if daring Nate to move.

“Let the boy go. I'm only gonna tell you once.” _Turn away. Don't watch this again._

“I'm not giving you Shaun!” Nate yelled, trying to push the scientist away. _Don't do this to yourself._ _You know how this ends..._

Kellogg fired one shot directly into Nate's heart. 

 

Nate died instantly, slumping back as blood poured down his chest. Doctor Amari gasped, and covered her mouth in shock.

“Dear god. I had no idea...”

The view shifted slightly, bringing Memory Alice back into sight. She was screaming, banging on the glass, clawing at it with her fingernails.

“Goddammit.” Kellogg scowled. “Get the kid out of here, and let's go.” He stepped over to Alice's pod and peered in at her. His expression slowly turned from one of frustration to contemplation. “At least we still have the backup...”

“Cryogenic sequence reinitialized.” Alice stared at herself until the cryogenics kicked back on, and Memory Alice slumped back, her tears frozen onto her face.

“What's the holdup?” Kellogg grumbled at his crew.

“I'm almost finished.” The scientist at the terminal sighed. “I just need to confirm... all right. We're good.”

The view turned again and moved up to the glass of Nate's pod. They had closed his pod and refrozen him, the blood on his chest instantly crystallized. His face was locked in an expression of anger and shock, his eyes open, gazing into nothing. Alice stared at him until the scene faded from view, and she stood alone in the darkness.

“I'm so sorry,” Amari said into the microphone. “I'm sorry you had to go through that again.” She glanced over at MacCready, who glared at her. “I've found another intact memory. Whenever you're ready.” She looked over at MacCready apologetically and set down the microphone. “There was nothing I could do! I told you if I shut it down, it would have killed both her and Mister Valentine!”

“I get it, I get it.” MacCready leaned back and scowled. “I just wish we could have avoided that.”

“Me too. That was horrific.” She checked the monitor again. “She's moving to the next memory. Hopefully, that one won't be as traumatic.”

“Well, I don't see how it could be any worse.”

Amari narrowed her eyes at MacCready, then turned her attention back to the monitor.

 

It was Kellogg's house in Diamond City. The man himself was sitting on a chair and cleaning his pistol, but the view skipped right over him. Instead, it focused on the floor where a child sat reading comic books and nodding along with the radio. His face was shaped like his father's, but his eyes and nose were purely Alice.

“Is that... your son?” Amari asked. “This appears to be a very recent memory, so... good news, I think.”

The view came in close to Shaun, examining him closely. Alice seemed to be so distracted by her son, that she jumped when a new voice spoke out.

“Kellogg.”

Shaun looked up in surprise at a tall man that had appeared at the door. His skin was dark, and he wore a long leather coat and sunglasses that completely obscured his eyes. Kellogg held his hand up.

“It's okay.” He chuckled to himself. “One of these days you're going to get your head blown off, just barging in here like that.”

“Minimizing my exposure to civilians in a priority.”

“Forgot I said anything.” Kellogg rolled his eyes and stood up. “So what's the big crisis this time?”

“New orders for you. One of our scientists has left the Institute.”

“Left as in...?”

“He's gone rogue. Name's Doctor Brian Virgil. We know he's hiding somewhere in the Glowing Sea. Here's his file.” He handed over a stack of papers, and Kellogg flipped through them. The vision shifted slightly, as if Alice wanted to look at the papers, but couldn't drag herself away from her son.

“Wow. Some heads are going to roll for this.” He sighed. “Capture and return, or just elimination?”

“Elimination. He was working on a highly classified program.” At this conversation, Amari was leaning forward, her nose practically on the glass.

“No kidding. One of the top Bioscience boys? Damn.” He looked down at Shaun, and for a moment he almost looked a little sad. “So... I guess you're taking the kid back with you.”

“Affirmative. Your only mission is to locate and eliminate Virgil.”

Shaun looked up with a smile.

“You're taking me home to my father?” Shaun's voice was cheerful, and MacCready felt his heart shatter for Alice. This was the first time she had ever heard her child speak, and he was asking about a father that wasn't truly his. His real father was dead in a cryopod, shot through the heart by the man standing next to him, with the very gun he was holding.

“Yes.” The man in leather said. “Stand next to me and hold still.”

“Okay!” Shaun stood up and stood in the corner of the room.

“X6-88, ready to relay with Shaun.” The strange man said to the air. Both MacCready and Amari frowned with confusion. 

“Bye, Mister Kellogg! I hope I'll see you again sometime!” Shaun gave a happy little wave before a bright flash of light filled the room. When it faded, both he and the man in leather were gone.

“Bye...” Kellogg said to the empty room and faded from view.

“Teleportation!” Amari exclaimed. “Now it all makes sense. Nobody's found the entrance to the Institute because there IS no entrance.” She leaned forward to the microphone with excitement. “Let me pull you out of there.”

 

Amari turned her attention to her various monitors, while MacCready shifted his gaze to Alice's face. He wished he hadn't. She was still staring motionless at the screen, but tears were running down her face.

“Can't you open this thing any faster?” He glared at Amari.

“No.” She snapped back. “There is a very specific order to things. Mister Valentine needs to be unplugged first.” She finished checking a monitor, then busied herself with the back of Nick's neck. After a few moments of work, Nick blinked and stretched his head from side to side.

“Well, that was... intense.” He sighed and looked over at MacCready. “Could you hear her?”

“No... only what Kellogg was hearing. What was she saying?”

“Well, at the beginning there was a lot of swearing... and then...” He shook his head, walked up to the memory lounger and placed his robotic hand up against the glass.

“Is she going to be okay?” MacCready tried to study the synth's face.

“Probably not right off the bat,” Nick admitted. “After that... I don't know.” He clapped MacCready on the shoulder. “I'm going to go sit upstairs and... process for a while. Give her space when she gets out of there.”

Nick slowly made his way out of the room, and as much as it pained MacCready to leave Alice, he followed the synth into the hallway.

“Nick...” He called out. "What else did she say? I need to know.”

“Why?”

“Because we've all worked hard to make this-” He gestured with his hand to their surroundings. “Normal for her now. After what she saw... I'm afraid she's going to shut down again.” He rubbed his face with his hand. Nick sighed, and stared at the floor.

“I was expecting screaming. Crying. Anger. But there was nothing. She just... stared, until her husband died. And then she apologized to him. Said she was sorry for everything that had happened, told him she had gotten her revenge. Told him she loved him... and said goodbye.” He raised his face, opening his eyes to meet MacCready's. “And then she saw Shaun.”

“And?”

“And there was excitement. Hope. Determination. She's going to find that kid, or die trying.” He raised his eyebrows. “She's going to be incredibly confused when she gets out of that lounger.”

“What do I do?”

“I don't know, and I have a feeling she doesn't either.”

Nick tipped his hat and headed up the stairs while MacCready wandered back into the office, just in time to see Amari opening the lounger.

 

Alice was shifting her weight slowly, trying to stand up. When she saw MacCready, she hurriedly reached up to wipe the tears off her face, and he pretended he hadn't noticed them.

“Hey, slow movements, okay?” Amari held her hands up towards Alice. “I don't know what kind of side effects the procedure might have had. No one's ever... done this before.” She dropped her hands to her sides. “How do you feel?”

“I'm okay, doctor. Thank you...”

“That's good.” Amari didn't sound convinced. “But I want you to keep monitoring yourself. We have to be sure there's no long-term damage.” Alice walked past her and sank heavily onto a couch in the corner of the room. “Are you... ready to talk about what happened in there?”

MacCready glared at Amari and walked over to sit next to Alice. He made sure to keep an appropriate distance, but still be available if she needed him.

“I... saw Kellogg's life... the man who ruined my family...” Alice pinched the bridge of her nose. “The man I killed.”

“That's right. He was a human being just like the rest of us, and he had reasons for being what he was, however cruel.” Amari pulled up the chair that Nick had sat in. “How does that make you feel?”

“I... I'm not sure.”

I don't know if there's any right way to feel, either.” She shook her head. “But we're getting off track. The important thing is that we discovered the Institute's greatest secret. Teleportation. The only question is, what do we do now?”

Alice set her jaw with determination.

“That scientist Kellogg was supposed to track down. Virgil. We need to find him.”

“You're right!” A rogue Institute scientist could answer all kinds of questions.” She frowned. “Where did the memory say he was? The Glowing Sea? That doesn't make sense. No one goes there. Not even if they were desperate.” MacCready let his head fall back against the wall. The Glowing Sea was one of the few places he had refused to go near while on a job. _And now I'm technically not even on a job, and we're planning a trip there. Great._

“Why?” Alice cocked her head to the side. “What makes the Glowing Sea so dangerous?”

“The name says it all. Radiation.” Amari looked suspiciously at Alice as if she was trying to put some mental pieces together. “So much that nothing there could possibly live. Nothing... pleasant...” She shook her head again. “Navigating radioactive hazards is nothing new, but the Glowing Sea can kill a man in seconds. That's why it doesn't make sense. Virgil fleeing into that hell... the exposure alone...”

“If we need to find Virgil, then I'm going after him.” Alice leaned forward on the couch as if she was ready to dash all the way to the Glowing Sea.

“If you're going to go, be prepared. You'll need some way to combat the radiation there.”

“How do I fight that much radiation, doctor?”

“There are chemical compounds. Rad-X, RadAway... you'd need as much as you could carry. Maybe more. A sealed environment suit would be great if you could find one. Or maybe... one of those suits of Power Armor? That would be perfect.” She cleared her throat and narrowed her eyes. “That is... they would be perfect if you had spent a lifetime building up a tolerance to the natural background radiation of the post-war world. But you didn't did you?”

Alice shifted uneasily and stared at her hands.

“No.” Her voice was small. 

“That cryogenic chamber. You went into it before the bombs fell.”

“Yes.”

Amari shook her head furiously.

“If you were to head into the Glowing Sea right now in Power Armor, the amount of radiation that would naturally leak in- While not bothering your friend here...” She gestured to MacCready. “It would make you horribly sick. It would scar your organs. Leave you irreparably damaged. That's if it didn't kill you outright.”

MacCready leaned towards Alice, trying to look reassuring.

“Nick and I can go. We'll find an old hazmat suit for me, and the radiation won't bother him at all.”

“I can't...” She sighed, her shoulders sagging. “I can't put you both in that much danger. I need to go, talk to this Virgil myself.”

Amari sighed.

“If you insist on doing this, give yourself some time to adjust, that should let you build up enough of a tolerance that you'll only be mildly sick afterward, not completely incapacitated.”

“How long?” Alice perked up.

“You've been out of cryo for what... a month?” Alice nodded. “I'd recommend a full year, but you could probably get away with nine months or so.” Amari looked away to avoid Alice's scowl. "You can come back here every few months, and I'll test your tolerance levels."

“Remember, the Institute wants to keep Shaun alive,” MacCready said quickly. “He's going to be okay until we can get to him. This is for the best. You want to be healthy when he comes home.”

Alice nodded.

“Thank you, Doctor.” She grasped Amari's hand firmly.

“Good luck, and... be safe.”

 

They stood up from the couch and Alice followed MacCready upstairs to where Nick was sitting on a plush red couch, staring off into space.

“Nick?” Alice asked, stepping into his line of sight. The synth looked up at her, and his lips curled up into a cruel smile. She took a shocked step backward.

“Hope you got what you were looking for inside my head.” Kellogg's voice came out of Nick's mouth, quiet and distorted like it was coming from far away. He laughed. “I was right. I should've killed you when you were on ice.”

Without even taking a moment to think, MacCready stepped between them, using one hand to push Alice behind him, and using the other to swing his rifle forward. He pointed it at Nick's face, ready to fire if the synth moved at all. Alice put one hand on his back and gripped his sleeve with the other, standing on her toes to see over his shoulder.

“What the hell did you just say?” He snapped.

“What?” Nick's voice went back to normal. “What are you talking about? Put your damn gun down!”

“You... feeling all right, Nick?” Alice asked cautiously.

“Yeah, I'm fine. Why?” He pushed the barrel of MacCready's rifle aside, glaring up at him.

“You sounded like Kellogg just then.”

“Did I?” Nick scratched his head. “Amari said there might be some 'mnemonic impressions' left over...” He shook his head and stood up. “Anyway, I feel fine, so let's get going.”

Alice lowered herself back down and slipped past MacCready to follow Nick outside. Before she went out the door, she turned back and gestured for him to follow. After taking a moment to calm his nerves, he followed her out. His mind was racing, torn between wanting to ask about Nate and never wanting to bring him up ever again. It must have been visible on his face, because once they got outside the Memory Den, Alice spun on her heel to face him.

“What's wrong?” She snapped. “You've been looking at me funny since I got out of the lounger.”

“Um...” He scuffed at the ground with the toe of his boot. “Doctor Amari could see what you were seeing... And so could I.” Her face fell. “I just wanted to make sure you were okay. Seeing... that again. Kellogg. Your husband.”

She rubbed her face with her hands and inhaled deeply.

“To be honest, it was horrible, having to see that again. Having to relive the worst moment of my life, in perfect detail?” She shuddered. “I wouldn't wish that on anyone. Not even Kellogg. And I had to see his as well.”

“Yeah, I tried to get Amari to shut it down, but she couldn't.”

She shrugged.

“It wouldn't have made any difference. There's nothing to be done about it now. Nate's dead. Kellogg's dead. I got my revenge. The anger is pretty pointless now. But Shaun is alive.” She forced a smile onto her face. “And you're right. As much as I want to get him right now, I can't. I'm no good to him dead, or full of radiation. He'll be okay at the Institute. He thinks someone there is his _father_.” She spat the word out. “They'll take care of him until I can get there.”

“We can head back to Sanctuary...” MacCready let the sentence hang in the air.

“I think I'd like that.” She nodded, then looked away and moved forward to catch up with Nick. MacCready pulled his grubby pack of cigarettes out of his pocket and lit one, leaning back as he inhaled. _Nine_ _months, at least._ He grinned. It was the first time in a long time that the immediate future didn't look terrible.

 


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven

 

After spending a few minutes enjoying his cigarette in peace, MacCready caught up with Nick and Alice outside the main gate of Goodneighbor. They were deep in conversation, and MacCready caught the tail end of it as he walked towards them.

“Shouldn't be a problem.” Alice was saying. “The Cambridge police station is on the way back to Sanctuary. And then we can go look for the others.”

“The other what?” MacCready asked, narrowing his eyes at Nick.

“Nothing.” Nick folded his arms across his chest and returning the glare.

“Hey!” Alice stood between them with her hands on her hips. “None of that. Let's just head home, okay?”

Nick shook his head and held up his hand.

“I hope you weren't planning on us taking the river way back... I scouted ahead a bit while you two were talking outside the Memory Den, and it looks like a large group of mutants has moved in to the area.” He sighed. “Any other ideas?”

MacCready frowned, then thought back to his first trip through Boston with Alice. He took a drag from his cigarette and pointed down the street.

“What if we sneak through the Common?”

“Wait, the place with the even bigger mutant?” Alice stared at him in disbelief. “Are you crazy?”

“Probably.” He grinned. “But if we stick to the walls and go quietly, there's a good chance the swan won't wake up. And it saves us having to travel down several back streets.”

“It's worth a shot.” Nick agreed. “You'll want to put that smoke out, though.”

 

They moved towards the common, Nick first, then Alice, and MacCready bringing up the rear. Once they passed the makeshift barricades, they crept along the walls, trying to stay low. A few times the swan rolled over in it's sleep, and they all froze. During one of those moments, MacCready's mind started to wander back to the first night he had know Alice, the night she had wandered unknowingly into the Common. How he had tried so hard to ignore her warmth against his skin for the first time... He blinked furiously and tried to push the image from his mind. He was in the absolute worst location in the entire Commonwealth to get distracted. He exhaled, and motioned for the group to move forward. When they reached the far end, Nick straighten up, and took a look around.

“Well, that's one leg of the Common down... but we should get moving again. This isn't really the best place to stop.” He pointed at a large handwritten sign on the wall.

“What's the Combat Zone?” Alice asked, scratching her head.

“Oh man!” MacCready laughed. “I used to come here all the time. I can't even tell you how many caps this dive sucked out of my pockets.” He nodded at Alice. “We should be fine here.”

“Not for long!” Nick hissed, backing away slowly from the Common as a loud rumbling sound rolled towards them. “Swan's awake...”

“Um... this way isn't much better...” Alice tugged on MacCready's sleeve. “We've got trouble coming.” MacCready groaned. A large band of raiders were heading down the street towards them, talking loudly amongst themselves. Luckily, they were too busy arguing amongst themselves about a drug score that they didn't notice the small group huddled against the wall. “Into the Combat Zone?” Alice suggested.

“Doesn't look like we have a choice.” MacCready agreed, heading for the door.

“Unless they follow us in.” Nick groaned.

“I don't think that's going to be a problem...” Alice pointed. The raiders' loud conversation had attracted the attention of the Swan. In their drug-addled haze, they rushed past the entrance to the Combat Zone, firing their weapons at the giant mutant. “Wooooow.” Alice watched a raider go flying backward through the air, launched by the club of the Swan. “That guy must have gone a hundred feet...”

“Get in here!” MacCready grabbed her by the arm and pulled her through the door.

“Right! Sorry!”

 

The lobby to the Combat Zone was empty, but the doors were open to the main arena. A loud voice was commentating on a fight taking place on the stage.

“Cage fighting?” Alice wrinkled her nose. “Looks brutal.”

“Yeah, Tommy tried to get me to fight in the ring once.” MacCready laughed and stood up straighter, pushing his shoulders back to try and look bigger. “Almost took him up on it.” Alice and Nick both turned slowly to give him a once over. Nick looked skeptical, Alice shrugged.

“I can see it.” She said with a slight smile. A surge of pride swelled through him, and he grinned at her.

Behind her, the fight had ended with the loser being dragged out by his friends, a bloody trail being left on the floor behind him.

“And that concludes this round!” The announcer exclaimed, his voice ringing through the large room. “Cait is the undisputed winner!” A redheaded woman stood in the center of the arena, her arms raised above her head. Even from this distance, the blood and bruising on her knuckles were visible and quite impressive.

“Aww man, Cait always wins,” MacCready mumbled. He had learned the hard way not to bet against her. Alice looked at him with confusion, but the announcer cut him off before he could explain.

“And whoooo's this?” Every spectator in the building turned to stare at them. They were definitely not the regulars MacCready remembered from before. As he stared into the gloom, mental puzzle pieces began to fall into place. Pipe pistols. Leather strap armor. Jet EVERYWHERE. _Raiders. Oh hell._ “Wait. Who let you...” The announcer's voice went from excitement to panic. “Lady, I'd find some cover! Quick!”

They bolted into a small kitchen as gunfire erupted from every direction.

“What the hell is wrong with this place?” Alice yelled, holding her hands over her head. “I thought you said we'd be fine in here!”

“Damn raiders.” MacCready grumbled, cocking his rifle. “Ruined a perfectly good cage fighting arena.” He raised his eyebrows at her. “What's the world coming to anyway?”

“Are you crazy?”

“Whenever you two are ready!” Nick glared at them. “I'll take point and cover this door since I bleed a lot less. See how many you can pick off through the holes in the wall.”

“Be careful!” Alice called as Nick leaned out of the room. She scooted over to kneel beside MacCready, sliding her rifle off her back. “Just like on the overpass?” He nodded.

“Don't forget to breath.”

She nodded, and took up a firing position, aiming carefully through a small window. MacCready watched out of the corner of his eye as she bit her lip, aimed, and fired. A moment later she grinned with satisfaction as her target went down. _Holy hell. E_ very hair on the back of his neck stood on end, and he had to blink several times to focus his eyes.He ran his hand over his mouth and chin, smoothing down his small beard, and stared at her for a few seconds. Then he shook his head to try and get back on the planet, took up his own position, and picked out a target. Slowly and methodically, they took down the majority of the raiders. Once there were no more within range, he signaled Alice to follow him over to the door.

“How's it lookin' over here?” He asked Nick.

“Not too shabby.” The synth pointed up towards the raised walkway. “There's three of them left up there, but that's about it.”

“Once for each of us.”

“If you say so.”

 

They moved up a ramp on the far side of the wall, Nick using precise motions to sweep an area before beckoning them to follow. MacCready wondered if that was typical synth behavior, or if they had modeled him after some kind of soldier. He made a mental note to ask Nick the next time they were somewhere safe.

After a few minutes, the remaining raiders were cornered, and dispatched. Alice put her hands on her thighs and leaned forward, breathing heavily.

“I can't believe we got through that.” She sighed. “I thought we were in serious trouble.”

“We were.” Nick patted her on the back. “But most of them were probably drunk, or worse.”

“Thanks for the vote of confidence.” She wrinkled her nose at him as she straightened up.

“Hey! We don't want any trouble!” The announcer's voice called up from the stage. “Not any more, at least!”

“Oh just peek your head up, ya damn coward!” A harshly accented woman's voice snapped at him.

“To heck with that!” He argued back. “I'm too pretty to go out like this.”

MacCready rolled his eyes, and stepped over to the edge of the balcony. Tommy Lonegan had always been more interested in self preservation than anything else, even caps. _Though caps ran a close second._

“Tommy, we're coming down!”

“MacCready?” Tommy yelled back, his voice cracking with confusion. “What the hell?”

“Hey, it was your patrons that started firing at us!”

“Get down here, and let's talk this over!”

 

When they were back down on the ground level, a figure waved them over to the edge of the stage. A ghoul in a bad suit and terribly fitting blond wig straightened his tie.

“Is it over?” He sighed as Alice nodded. “Well, that could've gone worse.” Cait laughed, her hands on her hips.

“I dunno, seemed quite the performance from where I was standin'.” She looked over with a grin. “Hey, MacCready. Long time no see.”

“Are you fucking high or something?” Tommy shook his head. “Why am I asking, of course you are.”

“Still won the fight, didn't I?” She glared back.

“You're strung out and getting sloppy is what you are. Course, I suppose you ain't got to worry about that now.” He glanced at Alice, and looked her over from head to toe with a careful eye. “Seems this one just put us out of business.” He stepped towards her, only stopping when MacCready glared at him menacingly. “I'm not sure if I should kiss you... or have my little bird here feed you your own entrails.”

“I told you to quit callin' me that!” Cait stepped towards the ghoul, her face red with anger.

He turned back towards her, and they began yelling at each other, picking up an argument that had obviously been going on for years. They bickered about everything from the quality of clientele, to Cait's apparent drug use. After a few minutes, Alice grabbed MacCready by the jacket and pulled him down so she could whisper into his ear.

“This is getting really awkward. I don't think we should be here for this...”

“Agreed.” He motioned to Nick with his head, and Alice started backing away, still clutching his jacket. Tommy noticed them trying to leave, and held his hands up.

“No, no. You know what? I think this was a blessing in disguise.” He narrowed his eyes at them. “You caught the end of that bout. What'd ya think of Cait's work?”

“Why do you ask?” Alice asked suspiciously.

“Consider it... professional curiosity. Now, what'd ya think of the fight?”

“She's... clearly talented?”

“See?” Cait grinned. “Least someone knows skill when they see it.”

“It ain't your fightin' skills I'm concerned with.” Tommy rolled his eyes at her, then turned his attention back to Alice. “So here's my predicament. I suddenly got no audience. No audience means I got no caps coming in.”

“Umm....” Alice stared at him with confusion, glancing to Nick and MacCready to see if they were following the thread of the conversation. Cait snorted, and that set the argument off again. Alice made a face at MacCready and covered her mouth with her hand. “Oh my god. We need to leave.” She hissed under her breath.

 

Again noticing they were trying to sneak out, Tommy turned his attention back to them and shrugged.

“So here's what I'm thinkin'.” He took several large strides across the floor, covering the distance Alice had gained in her slow, awkward retreat. “What say I let you take over her contract? She goes with you, watches your back...”

“What??” Cait and Alice exclaimed at the same time.

“Look. You'd be doin' me a favor while I try to get the place back in order. What do ya say?”

“Me? And Her?” Cait protested.

“Why would you want her to go with me?” Alice cocked her head to the side.

“Yeah, Tommy! Just why the hell you trying to get rid of me?”

Tommy faced Cait again, and in a moment of surprising tenderness, placed his hands on her shoulders.

“Look... truth is... all that junk, it's been making you careless. And I don't want to be the one doing color commentary when you finally hit the floor.” He cleared his throat. “Alright? So just do me this favor. Both of you. Please.”

“I'd... uh... like to know what Cait thinks.” Alice scratched the back of her neck, stepping backwards very slowly.

MacCready groaned. _This can only end badly._

“Yeah! Don't I get a say in all this?”

“That ain't how a contract works. Besides, you really wanna stay here? No audience. No caps. No one to talk to but yours truly.” Tommy grinned, flashing his rotten ghoul teeth.

“Jesus.” Cait grimaced. “Point taken.”

“That a girl. So, she's on board. Now, what about you?”

“Sure.” Alice held up her hands in surrender. “We could always use the help.”

“Good. It's settled then.” Tommy reached into his pocket and pulled out a bag. “Take this. It's the purse from the last fight. Exterminator's fee.” He shook his head at Cait. “Get out of here now, Little Bird. You ain't welcome anymore.”

“You're a real son of a bitch, Tommy.”

“You don't have to tell me.”

 

Cait followed at a distance as they beat a hasty retreat for the lobby.

“Oh my god.” Alice pinched the bridge of her nose. “I've been to some uncomfortable family dinners, but that one really took the cake.”

“Why is she coming with us?” MacCready sighed with exasperation.

Alice shrugged.

“She needed to get out of here. Where else does she have to go?”

“Fine.” He turned to Cait as she caught up with them. “Do you have a gun or anything?”

She grinned and held up her battered knuckles.

“I've got my fists, and a handy shotgun.” She gestured to a brutal looking sawed-off shotgun slung across her back. “Ready to get the hell out of here.”

Nick stuck his head out the main doors.

“All clear.” He called back inside. “No raiders, no Swan.”

They slipped out of the Combat Zone and headed west toward the edge of the city.

 

They didn't have to sneak this time, Cait had a solid reputation amongst the raiders and since the didn't know the Combat Zone was out of commission, none of them bothered her as she stomped through the city. Only feral ghouls gave them any trouble, and they weren't really any trouble to a group of four people. Only on the western outskirts of the city did a real problem present itself.

“Yeah, we definitely can't go north from here.” MacCready lowered his binoculars and sighed. “There's a group of about fifteen Gunners, and they're taking on a pack of eight or so Super Mutants.”

Nick shook his head.

“If we keep heading west, the entrance Vault 81 is tucked inside a small cave. We can stop in and rest for a while. Wait for that brawl to blow over.”

“Sounds like a plan.” Alice nodded, and followed Nick away from the sounds of the brawl, and towards the hills. MacCready felt his stomach drop. Vaults were high on his list of places he refused to go to. After everything that had happened in Little Lamplight with Vault 87, the mutants, and the Enclave, just thinking about going into one made him nauseous.

“Wait!” He protested. “We can just sneak around the backside of the hill and completely avoid them. We wouldn't have to stop at all.”

“Come on, aren't you curious at all to see what an open and trading vault looks like?” Alice glanced back over her shoulder with a smile.

“No.” He grumbled back and she laughed, apparently thinking he was kidding.

 

Outside the cave was a small clearing, obviously the camping place of the traveling caravans. While Cait poked around inside some abandoned buildings, MacCready stomped over to Alice and glared down at her.

“Why do you want to go in there?” He asked with exasperation. “I would have thought you were completely done with vaults.”

“Well... I can't go back to the one I found Nick in... and I'm definitely not going back to the one I came out of.” She shrugged. “There are still people in this one. They might have records about Vault-Tec. Point me in the right direction to find out why they... well... why they did everything they did.”

“I'm not going in there.” He clenched his fist so she couldn't see it twitching. “I spent my childhood living right next to a Vault. Those are some seriously bad memories I wish I could forget.”

“You're really not going in there.” She folded her arms across her chest.

“I really don't want to.” He held his hands up in a sign of surrender. _What am I gonna do, wait out here? That's stupid. I have to stay with her._ “But if you want to go in there, I'll go.”

“No, I think I have a better idea.” Alice sighed and stopped to think for a while. After a few moments, she seemed to come to a decision and waved Nick and Cait over.

“What's the plan?” Nick asked, standing up from an old chair. Alice stared at her feet, and absentmindedly reached out to rub the hem of MacCready's jacket.

“Nick, you and I are going to check out the vault, and MacCready is going to get Cait settled back at Sanctuary.” _Wait, what?_ He blinked at her with confusion.

“What do you mean, back at Sanctuary?” Unable to stop himself, he put his hand over hers and squeezed it tightly. “We're all going back to Sanctuary.”

She shook her head.

“Nick and I have some other things we need to take care of.” She continued to talk to her feet, as if she was unable to look him in the eye. “I need you to go back and make sure everything's okay.”

“I'm sure Preston is managing fine!”

“I know... I just... I need to know that someone I trust completely is there.”

“I'm supposed to stay with you!” He hissed. “That was the deal!”

“That was the deal...” She finally met his eyes, and she looked miserable. “Until you returned my caps. I'm technically not your client anymore.” _Oh dammit. That wasn't supposed to come back to bite me like this._ “I'll be back soon, I promise.” She uncurled her fingers from his jacket, and pressed her hand against his chest. “Don't worry. Nick and I will be fine.”

“You shouldn't do this.” He gripped her hand tighter.

“I need to help Nick, and I have things I need to figure out.”

“What things?”

She hesitated for a moment, and without answering, exhaled deeply before pushing away and sliding her hand out from underneath his. _What the hell is going on? She's sending me away?_ He had spent practically every waking moment with her for three weeks, and now the thought of not having her around boggled his mind. He felt a knot growing in the pit of his stomach, thinking about her out in the Commonwealth without him. He knew Nick was a good shot and knew his way around the area, but it wasn't the same thing as actually being there with her. He stood still, completely dumbfounded by the turn of events.

 

“Well, suppose this is it for now.” Cait shrugged, nodding at Alice. “Thanks for getting me out of the Combat Zone, I guess. We'll see you back at your little town.” She raised a hand in farewell. “Let's go, MacCready. The sooner we get there, the sooner I can get back to drinkin'.”

“Safe travels, MacCready.” Nick stuck his hand out, and MacCready shook it firmly.

“Same to you, Nick.” He nodded towards Alice. “Take care of her, okay?”

“Will do.” The synth tipped his hat, and stepped away, leaving MacCready and Alice alone for a moment.

“Please, be careful.” He stammered. “I don't...” The words he wanted to say caught in his throat, and he coughed. “I don't think I'll find another client so agreeable...” She smiled sadly and shuffled her feet.

“No, I don't think you will.” She bit her lip and he felt a shiver run down his spine.

“I guess I'll just... head home and wait for you.”

She nodded, and stared at him without speaking for a few moments, then turned away and hurried to catch up with Nick. MacCready wanted so badly to run after her, grab her tightly... but he couldn't let his mind go past that, it made his chest ache just to think about it. _What does she need to figure out? I don't understand what's happening..._

“Be safe.” He whispered, watching her and Nick until they slipped into the cave entrance.

“Hey there, Loverboy.” Cait reappeared at his side. “Let's get a move on.”

He glared at her and stormed up the hill away from the vault.

 

The entire way back to Sanctuary, Cait kept trying to wander off to search for stray booze. After MacCready found himself dragging her back on track for the fifth time, he felt his limited patience run out. He held onto her arm, and quickened his pace, pulling her along behind him.

“Seriously, enough with the dawdling! We're not stopping, we're heading straight for Sanctuary!”

“Why, cause your girlfriend said so?”

“She's not...” He made a face at her and she grinned triumphantly.

“Ah ha. I see what this is.” She laughed and put her hands on her hips. “It's her loss. I remember seein' the way girls looked at you at the Combat Zone. Of course,” She sniffed, “You're too wiry for my tastes.”

“Stuff it, Cait.”

“I'm sure you'd like to.” She cackled as he turned red. “Oooh, you're losin' your edge.”

Despite his bad mood, he couldn't help but laugh at her teasing. He hadn't gotten to know Cait very well during his outings to the Combat Zone, but now they fell into conversation like old friends. Her personality was rough and crude, but MacCready had been that way once not too long ago. All of a sudden, he found himself telling Cait everything about his time with Alice. As expected, she gave terrible advice.

“Well, you shoulda had your way with her that night, she wouldn't have minded.”

“No.”

“The Gunner's camp would'a been a perfect place to get down to action.”

“No.”

“Wait, you've never even kissed her, let alone shagged her? Why didn't we follow her into that vault so you two could find a dark corner?”

“No.”

“That's not an answer.”

“I can't, okay? She's just... different.” He threw his hands in the air in frustration as they made their way through the ruins of Concord.

“She's from a vault, you mean.” Cait cocked her head to the side. “But not 81, since shes never been there.” She shrugged. “Makes sense then, why she'd be naïve to your charms.”

MacCready shook his head and tried to change the subject. They were approaching Sanctuary, and the last thing he wanted was for Preston and Piper to overhear the current conversation. He quickly told Cait about the Minutemen, about the rebuilding efforts, and what would be expected of her while she lived at Sanctuary.

“Farming or guard duty?” She rolled her eyes. “As long as I get to drink after, shouldn't be a problem. Do I have to be nice to people?”

“For the most part, yeah.”

“Hmph. Fine.” She breathed deeply as the headed towards the bridge. “It smells nice. Not like beer and piss. Think I might like it here.”

 

Preston greeted them with many questions as they crossed the bridge, and MacCready answered them as best as possible, without giving away any of Alice's secrets. After a few minutes of conversation, Preston seemed satisfied that Alice was with Valentine and was pleased to have Cait and her skills available to help the town. As he lead her off to find her some lodgings, MacCready headed back to Alice's house. He resisted the urge to go into her room, instead taking up his usual spot on the couch. He closed his eyes and tried to imagine what she was doing, but all he could picture was the way her face looked when she told him to go. _She'll be back later tonight, maybe tomorrow. And then everything will be back to normal and I can get rid of this knot in my stomach. She'll be back before I know it._

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So the next chapter is the one I've been wanting to write since I got the idea to start writing this. I'm quite excited. And yeah, I hate splitting the party, but we don't need to sit through EVERYBODY'S recruitment quests. (If you really want to see how they would play out for Alice, pop in the game and pick every sarcastic option available. Haha.) Anyway, back to writing.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve

 

Six days. It had been six days since MacCready and Alice had parted ways outside of Vault 81. He spent every waking hour keeping watch by the bridge, perched on the roof of the house where the guards lived. He scanned the horizon constantly, looking for any movement or approaching people that could possibly be Alice or Valentine. After the sun had gone down and he could barely keep his eyes open, he retreated to her house to pass out on the couch, only to wake with the sun and do it all over again. Cait teased him for the first few days, but left him alone when it stopped being funny. Even she had her limits. Sometimes Piper joined him on the roof, asking questions about Alice, trying to figure out what big secret she felt was being hidden from her. But mostly he sat alone, thinking about how stupid he was for going along with Alice's plan. How he never should have walked away from her. How she was probably dead somewhere in a pile of rubble, and how he had someone else's death on his conscience. He continued to spiral into self loathing until finally around sunset on the sixth day, he caught the form of Nick Valentine approaching.

 

MacCready sprang to his feet, binoculars glued to his face. There was a woman with Valentine, but it wasn't Alice. She wore the clothes of a simple settler, and had short brown hair. As they approached the bridge, she stared at her surroundings with wide, curious eyes. _Did she come out of the vault?_ MacCready slid down the ladder, and met Nick on the bridge, his hands raised in confusion.

“Where is she?” He demanded. “What happened?”

“Nice to see you too, MacCready.” Nick rolled his eyes. “Everything's fine. She's in Goodneighbor.”

“What? Again? We just left there!”

“I'm well aware of that.” Nick stepped past him, and continued walking towards the settlement. “We had to head back there to help Curie with something.” He paused, and gestured to the newcomer. “Right. Curie, this is MacCready. MacCready, Curie.”

“Charmed.” She said, her voice heavily accented. It wasn't a harsh tone like Cait's, but a soft and smooth accent. Nothing like MacCready had ever heard in his life. She smiled pleasantly, and looked with confusion at his outstretched hand. After a few moments, he pulled it back.

“Um, right.” He nodded at her, and then turned back to Valentine. “So why'd you leave her in Goodneighbor?”

“Well...” Nick scratched the back of his head. “She and Deacon-”

“Who the h... Who's Deacon?” MacCready interrupted, and Nick glared at him.

“He's a friend. He helped with Curie's problem and decided to stick with us. Anyway, we got asked to do something... a little questionable. We decided it would be best to not get Curie mixed up in it, so I brought her back here.”

“Let me get this straight.” MacCready folded his arms across his chest. “She's in Goodneighbor, doing something illegal even by their standards. So you left her there with some stranger, and didn't even think to come get me?”

“It's not like there was time.” Nick rolled his eyes. “Besides, I have a feeling she'll be fine.” He clapped MacCready on the shoulder. “She's a lot more resourceful than you give her credit for.”

“Fine. When is she coming back?”

Nick shrugged.

“She said she and Deacon would be heading back once they were done, so a few days?” He leaned forward to study MacCready's face. “How much sleep have you been getting? You should go rest.”

“I have to keep watch.” MacCready mumbled.

“Look, go to sleep. She won't be back tonight, or tomorrow morning. Go get some sleep.” The synth shook his head, and headed off to introduce Curie to the other settlers.

 _Maybe getting some sleep wouldn't be such a terrible idea._ He could feel his body getting heavy, like it was already anticipating a good night's rest. He stepped into Alice's house, and frowned. It was still well lit, from the lights that Sturgess had installed, and the sunlight streaming in through the window. He sighed and for the first time, pushed back the curtain that acted as a bedroom door, and slipped into Alice's room. It was almost pitch black, but he could see the faint outline of a bed to his right. He kicked off his boots, dropped his jacket and hat on the floor, and carefully lowered himself onto the mattress. Before he could even think to pull the thin blanket up around himself, he was asleep.

 

When he woke up the next morning, it was still pitch black in Alice's bedroom, and he had no idea what time it was. There were also a few moments of panic before he remembered where he was. He felt around on the floor for his shoes, and then slipped back into the main part of the house. Codsworth and Dogmeat were in the kitchen, and they both looked over as he entered the room.

“Mister MacCready,” The robot said with concern. “I trust you are feeling alright? It is almost noon!”

“I'm fine. Thanks.” He picked up his rifle from its spot against the wall, and headed out to resume his lookout position. Dogmeat followed him out the door, and bounded off, probably to find something to eat.

 

To MacCready's surprise, Curie was waiting for him at the bottom of his ladder. She was holding a bottle of water and a mutfruit, and offered them to him.

“Thanks.” He nodded, slipping them into his pocket before climbing up the ladder. She followed, seemingly nervous and unsteady as she climbed up. Once she had settled herself carefully on the roof next to him, she watched him with a curious expression.

“Everything is good, yes?” She asked politely, gesturing to the fruit as he took a large bite. 

“Yeah, it's fine.” He took a swig from the water bottle. “Did you need something?”

“Monsieur Valentine said that you could be trusted, and told me you would have questions. About the vault, and Madam Alice.” _Trusted? What the heck happened in there?_ “He asked me to come here, and answer your questions.”

“Right. Well, if you just want to start at the beginning...?”

She nodded and smiled, her eyes staring off into the distance.

“I was in my lab, but I had run out of simulations to run, and was beginning to think I would never receive my resupplies. But then Madam and Monsieur arrived, and told me I was free to leave, that they had killed all the mole rats. I then delivered the cure I had developed to the sick boy, and we left the vault.” She smiled, and MacCready nodded slowly. _There's a lot missing from that story, but maybe it will make more sense once she finishes..._ “And then we went to lots of old police stations, and met Monsieur Deacon. He took us to Goodneighbor where the nice woman gave me a proper body.” MacCready mouth fell open in confusion. “And then we met the strange lady without a nose, and Monsieur Valentine and I came here.” She leaned back in satisfaction.

“I have... so many questions.” MacCready stammered. “First, a proper body? How did you not have a body before?”

She looked around, and then pointed back towards Alice's house where Codsworth was valiantly attempting to trim the hedges.

“After being manufactured, I spent my entire existence in the lab of the vault. Like that.” She gestured again.

“You were... a Mister Handy?”

“A Miss Nanny.” She looked slightly insulted. “But Monsieur Deacon helped me find a body that was no longer being used, so that I could better collect data, and understand this world through science.”

MacCready wiped his face with his hand. Nothing about that last sentence had made any sense to him, but he pushed past it. _So she's basically a synth. A very weird synth._

“Okay... So in Goodneighbor... you said you met a lady without a nose? A ghoul?”

“Yes, we actually met several women who did not have noses. It was very strange. But this woman, it was her name.”

“Oh no.”

“Pardon?”

“Bobbi No-Nose.” He sighed, shaking his head. She had roped him into a few schemes during his first time in Goodneighbor, and they never seemed to turn out well. “Great. Just great.” He listened to Curie chatter about her observations, answering her simple questions about things like mole rats and rad-scorpions, what kind of food grew best, and how many people were left in the world. He found himself enjoying her company, her wide-eyed idealism a pleasant contrast to Cait's pessimism and drug-addled grumpiness. She spent the rest of the day with him, eventually ending her questions to just stare out at the landscape. _200 years in one room, and I'd want to be outside as much as possible, too._

 

Three days later, a lone figure sauntered towards the bridge, a thin cloud of smoke trailing behind it. MacCready peered down through his binoculars, and squinted with confusion. _Hancock? What..._ He watched Goodneighbor's mayor approach, and speak briefly with Preston. After a few minutes of conversation, Preston pointed towards MacCready, then continued on his patrol. Hancock strolled over, and waited for MacCready to drop down from the rooftop.

“Do I even have to guess why you're here?” MacCready said, grasping the ghoul's hand warmly.

“That friend of yours...” Hancock whistled. “Talked herself out of some serious shit. We had a good conversation. Got me thinking about getting out of Goodneighbor for a bit.” He fished in his small pack for a bottle, and offered it to MacCready, who waved it off. Hancock grinned, and took a large swig. “Anyway, traveled with her and that Deacon guy back this way, until Cambridge.”

“What happened in Cambridge?” MacCready pinched the bridge of his nose.

“Ran into a Brotherhood of Steel patrol. They needed some help, but...” He pointed at his face. “I'm not really their kind of person. So I wandered this way, while they stayed.”

MacCready shook his head. _What is she doing? Is she going to stop and try and solve every little problem in the Commonwealth?_

“So she was okay when you last saw her?”

“She was definitely okay. Some cuts and bruises, but nothing serious.” Hancock grinned. “Speaking of serious, are you two...?

MacCready sighed.

“No.”

“Mind if I?”

“Yes.”

Hancock burst out laughing.

“So it's like that, huh? I get it.” He put his hands on his hips, and surveyed the settlement. “So, this place looks... boring.”

“Go find Cait.” MacCready gestured towards Cait's usual haunt near the back of the village. “She'll probably have something for you two to share. You'll know her when you find her.”

With a smile, Hancock headed off across town, leaving MacCready alone in frustration. He scuffed his toe on the ground, and climbed back up on the roof. He glared in the direction of Cambridge, leaning back on one elbow. _It can't be more than a day or two now..._

 

Four days later, MacCready was in a foul mood. He had been avoiding everyone, not wanting any company while he sulked on the rooftop. All day long he stared at the horizon until his eyes watered, and his mood got darker and darker as the sun sank lower and lower. In the back of his mind, the terrible thoughts were beginning to grow again. He let them creep into his mind, until he noticed unusual motion coming from the east.

“Hey, Preston!” He yelled over his shoulder. “You should get up here and check this out!”

When Preston joined him on the roof a few moments later, MacCready handed over the binoculars.

“What am I looking for?”

MacCready pointed.

“There, over the hill...” As the object got closer, the whir of its blades became louder and louder. “It's a vertibird.” He shook his head. “Looks like the Brotherhood of Steel is paying us a visit.” Suddenly, a shock went through his body, and he smacked Preston on the back. _Alice was with the Brotherhood._  “Come on!”

He skidded to the edge of the roof, and practically fell down the ladder. Preston followed him in confusion, and they tried to track where the vertibird would have room to land.

 

The vertibird circled them once, then slowly touched down on the old street, sending settlers scrambling to get out of the way. The first person to get off was a Brotherhood soldier in full power armor. He surveyed the settlers, nodding when he seemed satisfied that everything was safe. Then he stepped aside to let the next person jump off. It was a pale man with thick black hair, and dark sunglasses. He seemed to be more agreeable than the soldier, giving a wave to Curie, and heading towards her. _That must be Deacon._ The soldier shook his head, then turned back towards the vertibird to help Alice down from the raised platform. As soon as her feet hit the ground, she scanned the curious crowd, grinning when she saw MacCready. She quickly walked towards him, stopping a foot or so away.

“Hi.” She smiled up at him.

“Hey.” He stared down at her, hardly believing she was actually back. He reached out and put his hand on her shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze, as if making sure she was actually real. After a brief moment, he couldn't fight himself any longer, and pulled her in close, releasing her shoulder to wrap both his arms around her. She leaned into him with a contented sigh, holding tight to his jacket. “You were gone for two weeks!” He scolded. 

“I'm sorry.” She murmured into his chest. “Things kept coming up.”

“Just... don't do that again, okay?”

“I won't.”

He kept her close, letting the comfort of knowing she was safe wash over him. It wasn't until he heard a cough behind him that he let go.

“Sorry to break up the reunion...” Hancock was grinning. “But my... personal things have arrived from Goodneighbor.” He gestured to a caravan coming across the bridge. “I felt like maybe we could bust open some bottles tonight, celebrate the fact that Alice is finally back.”

“You were going to open them anyway, weren't you?” Alice laughed.

“Well, yeah. But now we have an excuse.”

 

They all winced as the motor of the vertibird sped up, and it lifted into the sky, heading back to the west. The soldier in power armor had stayed in town, and stomped over to Alice. He looked suspiciously at MacCready, and outright glared at Hancock. MacCready rolled his eyes. The Brotherhood didn't have the most tolerant policies about ghouls, synths, or anyone who didn't fall in line with their rigid lifestyle.

“Ma'am, I'm going to do a lap of the perimeter, make sure everything is secure.”

Alice sighed.

“It's fine, Paladin. You can take a few minutes and settle in. Preston and the other guards have things under control.” She nodded at MacCready and Hancock. “Paladin Danse, this is Hancock, the mayor of Goodneighbor.” Hancock tipped his hat and bowed sarcastically. “And this is MacCready. My... traveling partner.” MacCready smirked.

“It's good to meet people that Alice seems to hold in high regard.” He nodded stiffly. “Now if you'll excuse me, I want to make my own assessment of this settlement's security.” He clanked away, and MacCready and Hancock burst into laughter.

“So, that guy is definitely a robot, right?” MacCready asked.

“Nah.” Hancock sniggered. “The institute definitely makes synths with a lot more personality than that.” He turned back to Alice. “So like I was saying. Let's bust open a couple boxes of booze tonight, and have ourselves a proper party.”

“Oh... we wouldn't want to use up all of your supplies so quickly...” Alice stared at the large boxes being unloaded.

“What? Do you think I'm some kind of savage?” Hancock shook his head. “I've got these set up to arrive every two weeks.” He wandered off to direct the placement of the shipment, leaving Alice and MacCready alone.

“So... I should clean up, get Piper, and organize a few things for tonight.” She smiled up at him. “Can you grab Sturgess, and have him clear out a spot in one of the houses for people to congregate?”

“Sure. See you in a bit?”

“Soon.” She smiled again. “Promise.”

He watched her walk away, feeling all of his worries melt away. She was home, she was safe, and no worse for wear. His chest felt tight when he thought about the way she had practically run into his arms, and optimism about the future began to creep back into his mind. He shoved his hands in his pockets, and whistled as he wandered off to find the handyman.

 

It didn't take long, as Sturgess was in the house across the street from Alice's. It had become the main place for the settlers to gather, and it took almost no time to convince people to turn it into a party location. It seemed like everyone was looking for a reason to relax and cut loose a little bit, and word spread like wildfire across the village. About twenty minutes later, MacCready was out on the street holding a ladder while Sturgess hung some lights, when Alice, Piper, and Curie walked by, followed by three other women. They were all heading towards the bridge.

“Where are you ladies off to?” Sturgess called over to them.

“Concord!” Alice responded. “There's a store over there that's all boarded up. I wanted to see if it had anything left in it.”

“Don't think so.” Sturgess shook his head. “Most everything useful got looted a long time ago.”

“These aren't useful!” Alice laughed as she kept walking. “Don't worry, we'll be back in fifteen minutes.”

 

MacCready stared at the bridge for the full fifteen minutes, his inattention almost causing Sturgess to fall off his ladder. He only relaxed when he saw Alice and her companions return to the bridge, each carrying two large boxes. They disappeared into her house, and soon other women from around the settlement began wandering in. They left shortly after they entered, each carrying a small bundle. Sturgess scratched his head in curiosity.

“Now what the hell do you think they're up to?”

“I have no idea.” MacCready shook his head. “Women stuff, I guess.”

Sturgess laughed, and went back to hanging the lights.

“Guess we'll find out later.”

 

As the sun went down, Hancock went about setting up his alcohol inside the house's old kitchen. There were several cases of beer, and bottles of various liquor, some pre-war, the rest newly distilled out of anything availible. Settlers, mostly the men, were already starting to trickle in. They were filling old bottles, glasses, and mugs before dispersing into the large living room and the area outside the house. Everybody had tried to spruce themselves up, the men had gone down to the river and washed the dirt off, and MacCready had even left his cap back at Alice's. It made him feel self conscious, not being able to hide behind the brim, but after some teasing from Cait, he stopped caring. He was halfway through his first beer, and was chatting with Hancock, Deacon, and Cait when the conversation in the room died. He turned to see what everyone was staring at, and nearly choked. Alice had entered the room, flanked by Piper and Curie. They wore dresses that looked new, the colors still vibrant and the fabric unstained. Curie in pink, Piper in green, and Alice in bright red. MacCready could feel his eyes almost popping out of his head. He barely noticed the other women of the camp dressed in similar new clothes, filing into to the room to find their equally baffled husbands and boyfriends. Alice made her way across the room to the kitchen, the dress swaying gently with every step she took. Her hair was down, and hung down over her shoulders. He couldn't help but notice how low cut the dress was. It wasn't as clingy as the blue dress had been, but fit her incredibly well. Her eyebrows went up as she noticed MacCready's expression, and she shook her head at him.

“Better close your mouth, MacCready, before a bug flies into it.” She plucked a bottle of liquor off the table, and swished her way back to her friends. Cait began laughing so hard she had to lean against the wall for support.

“Oh damn.” Hancock said under his breath.

“You said it.” MacCready agreed.

They watched as Alice flicked on the radio, and poured drinks for herself, Piper and Curie. They clinked them together, then each took a long sip. Curie coughed, Piper grimaced, but Alice nodded appreciatively. 

“Oooh, it's going to be a good night.” Cait grinned wickedly, elbowing MacCready in the ribs. He responded by downing his beer, and quickly grabbing another. _It was definitely going to be an interesting night._

 

An hour and two drinks later, Alice was loudly complaining to Piper about the radio. MacCready watched with interest as she spun the dial on the old machine.

“Does Travis have more than ten songs to play?” She gestured wildly. “Because if I have to hear 'Civilization' one more time tonight, I'm going to go nuts!”

“Yeah, his selection is pretty limited.” Piper agreed with a shrug. “You get used to it.”

“No.” Alice folded her arms across her chest with tipsy stubbornness. “Where's Sturgess?” She spun around quickly, the dress swirling with her. MacCready tried to not notice how much of her leg was exposed when she did that. After a moment, she located the poor handyman. “Okay. Okay. Two questions.” She grabbed him by the shoulder. “One, when you were installing the lights in my house, did you see any boxes in the attic?”

“Yeah, there were a couple... why?”

“Okay. Two. Can you get that thing plugged in and maybe working?” She pointed at a long table along the wall. Sturgess examined it, and lifted up the top, revealing a large radio.

“Shouldn't be a problem. Can get it done...” He twisted some wires together and jammed them into a junction on the wall. The radio sprung to life. “Now.”

“Fantastic.” Alice spun on her heel and swept out of the room.

“Oh, I've gotta see where this is going.” Hancock exclaimed. He, Cait, Deacon, and MacCready pushed their way through the crowded room, to see Alice disappearing into her house. They were quickly joined by Piper, Curie, Nick, and Sturgess in the street. Paladin Danse and Preston walked by, but curiosity got the better of Preston, and he peeled off from the patrol to check out the situation.

“Gang's all here...” Piper laughed and they filed into the house.

 

Alice was dragging a chair down the hallway, and stared as the group entered.

“Heeeey.” She smiled nervously. “What's going on?”

“Thought we'd ask you the same thing.” Piper said, folding her arms across her chest.

“There's music up here!” Alice stood on the chair, wobbling precariously. Being the closest, Nick reached up to steady her. With the added support, she began banging on the ceiling tiles until one popped loose.

“There's music in the ceiling?” Piper stared into her mug. “Hancock, what's in this stuff?”

“Don't ask.” The ghoul responded quickly.

“Here!” Alice pulled a box down, peeking under the lid. “No, this is the wrong one. Hang on!” She handed the box to Piper, then stood on her toes to grab another box. “This is the right one!” She stepped down, set the box on the chair and opened it. It was full of holotapes, perfectly untouched. But the group's attention was quickly drawn away from them as Piper opened the other box.

“Blue, these are pre-war photo albums!”

Alice's face went white. MacCready sighed. _Well, that's the end of that secret._

“Are- Are they?” She tried to sound casual, but couldn't hide the nervousness in her voice.

Piper grabbed one and sunk onto the couch.

“These are in pristine condition! What a find!” She turned a page. “Look at these... Perfect candid examples of pre-war life.” Everybody clustered around to look, except MacCready and Nick. “Everything we have is from old magazines and books. Nothing that shows what everyday life was like!”

Nick and MacCready both turned to look at Alice. She was nervously lacing her fingers together, wincing as she waited for them to notice the inevitable.

“These ones look like a beach party.” Hancock laughed with approval. “Bottles everywhere. Seems like those people knew how to have a good time.”

“Wait. This girl...” Preston said, narrowing his eyes to look closer. “She looks a lot like you.” He glanced over at Alice. “Is this your ancestor's house? Is this why you wanted us to keep it empty?”

“No.” Piper said quietly. “That's not her ancestor.” She held the album up to Alice. “I don't know how... but that's you, isn't it?”

Alice didn't respond, she just tried to blend in with the wall.

“Everything makes sense now. That vault you were in... somehow you went in before the bombs.” Preston stared at the picture. “This is you before the war.”

“Summer of 2070.” Alice said quietly.

“Holy shit.” Sturgess muttered under his breath, and Alice looked around the room nervously.

“Well?” She threw up her hands. “Do we have to talk about this now?”

“No.” MacCready grabbed the box of holotapes. “We're going to go back to the party, and listen to new... new, old music.” He glared around the room. Alice looked at him with gratitude and relief. “Seriously, we're all leaving now.”

 

“You knew.” Piper hissed at him as they headed back out onto the street.

“Of course I did.” He shrugged, the contents of the box rattling. “Look, you can ask her all about it tomorrow. But for now, just enjoy the evening, okay?”

“Fine.” She sighed, and stared down into the box. “Hope there's something good in there.”

“I don't care if it's good. I just want it to be different.”

“That's the truth.”

 

When they got back across the street, Alice clicked off the radio, and held up her hands at the protesting.

“I've brought something better!” She reached into the box and pulled out a holotape. After examining the label, she spun on her heel and clicked it into the large radio. She pressed a few buttons, and the holotape began to play, pumping music that had hadn't been heard in over 200 years into the room. A man's voice crooned gently, his voice deep and smooth. Alice grinned triumphantly, and poured herself another glass full of liquor.

She leaned against the wall, and smiled as she watched people nodding along to the music. Several people were tapping their toes, and swaying gently. Deacon popped up behind MacCready's shoulder, the bright lights of the room reflecting off his sunglasses.

“I read about parties like this in old magazines. People used to listen to music and dance.” He nodded towards Alice. “I think she wants people to dance.”

“I don't think anybody knows how.” MacCready remembered seeing pictures in one of Lucy's old magazines, but the frozen images couldn't convey what dancing actually was.

“I do.” Deacon flashed a smile. “I spent some time down in the Capitol Wasteland. You're from there, as I understand.” He didn't give MacCready any time to answer. “I was with a trade caravan, and we stopped in at Vault 101 for supplies and such. They still had plenty of music, and had kept some pre-war traditions.”

“Like dancing?” MacCready asked, rolling his eyes.

“Exactly.” The song changed to something more upbeat by the same singer, and Deacon stepped across the room, grabbed Alice by the hand and pulled her towards him. But instead of pulling her in tightly, he let her go past, then pulled her back again. Her face lit up as she realized what was happening, and spun back towards him, her dress showing off her legs above the knees. People stared with open mouths, backing against the walls to get out of their way. Deacon spun her under his arm, then pulled her against his chest. He looked over her shoulder, dipping his head down so he could see MacCready over the top of his sunglasses. He winked, then dipped Alice backwards. She laughed with delight, and pulled herself back up, spinning away from him again. Every time they moved, Deacon's hands were somewhere else. Around her waist, on her back, holding onto her hands. As they moved faster and faster, MacCready's watched in growing jealousy. When the song ended, and another began, he grabbed his empty beer bottle and filled it with liquor. He would never be able to move like that, and he didn't want to make a fool out of himself for trying. But he couldn't stop watching as Alice moved gracefully, her laughter filling the room.

 

Soon, other people began to join in, clumsily trying to emulate the moves of Deacon and Alice. After a couple songs, they split off and began dancing with other people, helping them figure out what to do. Even Valentine joined in on some of the slower songs, gently showing Curie how to move. Piper and Sturgess nearly tripped into the table, and Cait and Hancock had either no sense of rhythm, or didn't care. But everyone was having a wonderful time, and after a few hours, the music was less upbeat, and everybody was dancing slowly. Alice was back with Deacon, her head resting on his shoulder, and MacCready couldn't watch anymore. He set down his bottle, still half full from its third refilling of liquor and stumbled his way outside. People were dancing, or attempting to, outside, and he stalked past them into Alice's house. He didn't bother turning the lights on, and tried to slam the door behind him, but a hand stopped it. Alice slipped in behind him, a curious expression on her face. She didn't shut the door all the way, and the music followed her in.

“What's wrong?”

“I'm just tired.” He lied. “Too much drink.”

“Is that is?” She shook her head. “Cause from where I'm standing, it looks like you're mad you didn't get to dance at all.”

“Do I look like I want to dance? All that moving around... too fast for me.”

“Well...” She looked up at him, in the light coming in through the window he could see her cheeks red with the rosy glow of alcohol. “These songs are slower...” She reached out and took his hands, pulling herself against his chest. The fabric of the dress was thin, and he could feel the warmth of her skin through his own shirt. He bit his lip and rested his head against hers, letting her guide him as she swayed back and forth to the music. _Wait. Is this happening? Should this be happening?_ Any other day, he would have been concerned with how drunk she was, but he was on an equal level, so he didn't care. He slipped one hand out of hers, and slid it around her back, letting his fingers curl gently around her waist. She leaned into his touch, and he felt that familiar surge of electricity down his spine.

“Did you miss me while I was gone?” She asked quietly.

“I think you know the answer to that.” He answered.

She laughed, and let the music fill the room again. After a few moments, a thought fueled by liquor crossed MacCready's mind.

“Hey. I never got the chance to properly thank you for helping me take out Winlock and Barnes.”

“We're friends. No thanks necessary.”

“Are you kidding?” He pulled his head back and looked down at her. “You stuck your neck out for me, and I don't forget shit-” He coughed. “I mean things like that.”

“You ought to try cursing once in a while... it's good for the soul.” She raised her eyebrows at him with a small giggle.

“Yeah, I figured you'd ask me about this sooner or later.” He sighed, feeling the alcohol take control of his mouth. “It's not about you, it's about a promise I made.” _How do I best explain this?_ He blinked a few times, his vision blurring slightly as all the liquor seemed to rush to his brain at once. “When I left the Capital Wasteland, I didn't just leave Little Lamplight behind... I left my family behind. Had a beautiful wife named Lucy, and a son we named Duncan.” He felt Alice tense, and start to pull away, so he tightened his grip, thinking that she was just unsteady on her feet. “He's the one that I made my promise to... a promise to clean up my act and to be a better person.” The words were pouring out, everything he had kept secret since arriving in the Commonwealth. He sighed. “I guess that sounds pretty stupid coming from a guy who shoots people for a living.”

 

Alice slipped out of his grip completely, and took a few steps back.

“I don't know what to say.” She stared at him, her eyebrows knotted with disbelief.

“I didn't abandon them!” He was confused. _Why is she getting upset about this?_ “My son... he's sick. I don't know what's wrong with him.” He clenched his fists. “One day, he's playing out in the fields behind our farm... the next he took a fever and these blue boils popped up all over his body.” He rubbed his face with his hand, trying to not let his emotions take over any more than they already were. “The last I saw him, he was almost to weak to walk. I didn't dare ask him to come with me. Honestly, I don't know how much longer he's going to last.”

“There must be something we can do.” Alice stared at the floor, scuffing the toe of her shoe on some dirt. His heart leaped. _She wants to help. Nobody has ever wanted to help._

“I.. I was hoping you'd say that. A few months before we met I bumped into a guy named Sinclair who claimed his buddy caught some kind of a disease. I thought he was wasting my time until he said his partner broke out in blue boils.” He focused hard, trying to remember all the details through the fog of alcohol. “They dug up information about a cure at a place called... Med-Tek Research. They even managed to grab the building's lockdown security codes.”

“Did they find the cure?” Alice gently folded her arms over her chest. Her voice was quiet, as if it was coming from far away. MacCready shook his head.

“Unfortunately, Sinclair's buddy died before they were able to break into the facility. I mean, there's no way that's a coincidence, right? Med-Tek has to be the place.” He grinned at her, still not understanding why she didn't look happy.

“I hope so.” She sighed, looking away. “We should go, find the cure for... your son.”

“Let me know when you want to head out there. I have all the codes we need to get through their security.” He reached out and pulled her back toward him, wrapping an arm around her waist completely. She sank into him with what sounded like a gentle sigh. “What you're doing... no one's ever cared that much about me before.” He gently reached down, and lifted her chin with his fingers. He looked down at her face, his confusion growing at her sad expression. “Even if it takes me the rest of my life... I'll repay this debt to you. I swear it.”

 

She nodded, and he brushed some hair out of her face, tucking it behind her ear. His skin was on fire, every nerve firing. His muscles felt incredibly tight, like they might snap if he moved. The music changed again, another slow song that seemed to be egging him on. He stared down at her, and she blinked slowly, looking up at him through her long eyelashes.  _I don't care any longer. I can't waste this moment._ Slowly he leaned forward, pulling her face towards his. She sighed deeply but offered no resistance, and closed her eyes. When his lips finally met hers, he had to fight to keep his knees from buckling. Her lips were soft, softer than he could have ever imagined. She kissed him back with intensity, and he couldn't help but wonder if she had wanted to do this for as long as he had. She moved one of her hands from his chest, and snaked her arm around his neck. Slowly, she ran her fingers through his hair, and he groaned at the sensation. He tightened his grip around her waist, lifting her easily off the ground and stepping towards the wall. He pressed her up against it, supporting her weight completely. He took his other hand from cradling her head, and gently set it on her hip, but he couldn't help but let it travel down her leg, pulling her knee past his waist, letting his fingers brush against the bare skin under the hem of her skirt. She sighed again, and her fingers curled against his chest. Suddenly, she gasped and pulled away, breaking the kiss.

“Wait.” She stared up at him, her chest heaving with deep breaths. “We can't.”

“Yes, yes we can.” He could feel himself pressing against her, and how she was still responding to the touch of his fingertips on her leg. “We definitely can.”

“No.” Her eyes welled with tears. “We can't.” She repeated, and pushed him away enough that she could slip out of his grip. He caught her arm as she tried to move into the hallway.

“Why?” He begged, feeling everything he had hoped for slipping through his fingers. “Why can't we do this?” His mind tried to race, but he couldn't think clearly. He came to what he thought was the most likely cause of her distress. “Do you think I'm going to leave after... That this was my only goal? The only reason I stayed all this time?” He rubbed her arm with his thumb. “I'm not going anywhere. This isn't... This isn't just about this...” He winced at the clumsy words.

She let him pull her back for just a moment, and he reached out with his other hand. But at the last second she planted her feet, and tugged her arm away.

“It's not about that. It's about the family you left behind.” Her voice cracked. “Your son. Your WIFE.” She shook her head. “I'm sorry. I had too much... I shouldn't have-” She spun quickly, and rushed into her room.

 

MacCready stood stock still, completely dumbfounded by the turn of events. _My wife? But she's... Oh no no no I didn't mention that Lucy is gone. Oh my god._ He clapped his hand over his mouth in horror. _How could I be so stupid?_ _I have to tell her now..._ He shook his head with frustration. _Hey, I swear my wife is really dead. Let's pick up from where we were, okay?_ He stepped towards the couch, and collapsed on it. _I am so unbelievably stupid. I've ruined everything._ He continued to chastise himself until sleep took him, and as the liquor faded, it took with it several key parts of the evening, including half of his interactions with Alice, and left him with only a vague memory of talking about Duncan and Med-tek, not Lucy. The kiss became like a half remembered dream, although in his mind it was the most vivid of the dreams he had ever had about kissing her. His lips still tingled from the feel of hers, and when he awoke in the morning with a splitting headache, he still smiled at what he thought was an incredible dream.

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Because I'm a dweeb, I made a playlist of music to write to that I figured they would be listening too. Surprise, surprise, it was mostly Elvis. In case you were wondering, the first song Alice dances to with Deacon was "I Need Your Love Tonight." then "Love Me" was the slow song. Alice and MacCready dance to "I Want You, I Need You, I Love You", (ha ha ha), and the song that was egging him on was "It's Now or Never."  
> Anyway, just thought I'd share those since I did have very specific songs in mind for those moments. Now you can listen to them and be frustrated! :D
> 
> (Other songs prominently featured on that playlist were "Bossa Nova Baby", "You're the Devil in Disguise", and "Hard Headed Woman" on the fast side, and "Can't Help Falling in Love" and "I Forgot to Remember to Forget" on the slow side.)


End file.
